Thrive Together: Create opportunities for migrants to generate income despite rigid labor markets and legal restrictions, through cash-for-work programs and paid training schemes
National policies often set rigid barriers to economic self-reliance for the most vulnerable newcomers settling in cities, including refugees and undocumented migrants. Frequently, these populations lack the “right to work” and with it the opportunity to be employed or own businesses. In cases where they are allowed to work, their uncertain status in host destinations usually prevents them from getting an appropriate job.
Despite these constraints, municipal governments can collaborate with humanitarian agencies and the private sector to establish opportunities for migrants and other vulnerable populations to generate income. For example, in some cases municipal authorities can offer refugees “Cash-for-Work’” opportunities — temporary employment in public projects, such as garbage collection, road maintenance, and community beautification projects. Municipalities can also partner with private sector actors to establish apprenticeship programs that benefit both refugees as well as the businesses they work for, which receive nominally “free” labor for a set length of time. Local authorities can develop programs that provide financial and technical support to local microbusinesses to hire employees from migrant groups.
Examples from the 100RC Network
Montreal — Employ Nexus and Professional Sponsorship Program
‘Employ Nexus’ is a project of the Integration Office for Newcomers in Montreal (Bureau d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Montréal or BINAM). It offers consultation services to Montreal businesses facing recruitment challenges. By encouraging the hiring of immigrant professionals, the City of Montréal contributes to the growth of businesses in the city and the socioeconomic integration of residents of immigrant origin. The program offers immigrants with specific employment barriers 6-month internships to gain work experience in their respective professions or areas of expertise.
Practitioner Resources
MercyCorps
Guide to Cash-for-Work ProgrammingCash-for-Work is a short-term intervention normally used by humanitarian aid organizations to provide temporary employment in public projects, such as repairing roads, clearing debris or re-building infrastructure, to the most vulnerable segments of a population, including migrants and refugees. In this document, Mercy Corps examines the process of Cash-for-Work (CfW) and provides simple, useful tools for determining the appropriateness of CfW, a general framework for implementation, and the forms and documents necessary for administering CfW programs.
Welcome Talent InitiativeThrough the Welcome Talent initiative, LinkedIn partners with nonprofits, governments, and the private sector to provide refugees services that focus on career development and job accessibility. In February 2016, the company launched the Welcome Talent program as a pilot with the goal of connecting refugees to internships in Sweden and encouraging employers to post opportunities for refugees on LinkedIn. Welcome Talent provides a platform for newcomers and employers in Sweden to easily connect. When employers add #welcometalent to job listings, newcomers can use the hash tag to search for those opportunities. The site also has information, resources, and case studies to help refugees create compelling profiles. During this pilot, LinkedIn partnered with more than 50 companies and helped roughly 2,000 refugees. In the following months, they expanded the Welcome Talent program to Canada and the U.S.
100RC Platform Partner in Action
International Rescue Committee — Livelihoods Centers
100RC Platform Partner the International Rescue Committee (IRC) utilizes Livelihoods Centers in cities as one stop shops for refugee and other community residents in search of work. The Centers utilize a “bundled services” approach that includes job matching and counseling, vocational training, apprenticeships, and start-up and growth grants. They also provide legal advice to help navigate the market and avoid risk. IRC works with employers as well, to advocate for fair wages and reasonable work, and to offer clarification on the constraints of hiring Syrian refugees while defining the space that nonetheless exists for providing them employment.
