The employment of migrants is crucial for creating a cohesive society
‘Inclusive companies: how to boost the integration and job prospects of migrants’, a conference organized by Esade business school and the SERES Foundation, provided an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas about the importance of the business world regarding job opportunities for migrants. This conference examined the main challenges of integration and put forward innovative solutions that would make a difference in the business world.
In an increasingly diverse global landscape, immigration and cultural diversity offer an opportunity to build more inclusive, innovative and resilient companies. When job hunting, however, migrants continue to run up against structural and social obstacles that hinder their access to the job market. During this session, experts from the business world and academia discussed the strategies needed to boost migrants’ employability and manage diversity within companies more efficiently.
“In today’s complex world, the aging population and lack of talent constitute major challenges for companies and society. Companies must continue to support diversity as a way of increasing their competitive edge whilst making society stronger,” emphasized Ana Sainz, director general of the SERES Foundation. “By fostering the integration and job prospects of ethnocultural minorities and migrants, we not only make opportunities for them, but also make businesses more competitive, organizations more innovative and resilient, and forge closer social ties,” she pointed out.
Ignasi Carreras, professor and director of NGO management programs at the Esade Institute for Social Innovation, agreed that “finding jobs for migrants is decisive in order to build a cohesive society. It underpins the sustainability of the job market and the welfare state, contributes to economic growth, productivity and innovation, reduces social exclusion, and eliminates discrimination and prejudices. It also boosts diversity and, therefore, innovation inside companies, their access to talent and ability to find candidates for positions that that are hard to fill, their expansion into new customer segments and new markets, plus their recognition as sustainable companies.”
An inclusive corporate mindset
Experts from Adecco, the Spanish Red Cross and the Konecta Foundation agreed that the correct management of diversity in companies can boost innovation, resilience and social cohesion.
Maika Sánchez, head of Employment at the Spanish Red Cross, explained that “migrants face a variety of challenges when jobhunting: difficulties in having qualifications from their country of origin recognized, the speed of legalizing their status (a barrier to better job prospects), and the recognition of their work experience, which would, amongst other things, prevent the horizontal and vertical segregation that reduces career advancement opportunities and causes the Spanish job market to miss out on skills.”
Francisco Mesonero, director general of the Adecco Foundation and head of Sustainability at the Adecco Group, highlighted the need to manage cultural diversity in the labor market correctly. “The Adecco Group, with 33 nationalities on its in-house payroll and 140 nationalities hired in ventures with companies, is a true reflection of a labor market in which the migrant workforce is increasingly important. Indeed, the number of foreigners of working age in Spain has grown by 39% in the last decade, while potentially active Spaniards have fallen by 1%.”
“Against this backdrop of an ageing population and shrinking native workforce, migrant professionals fulfil a structural need and are crucial for ensuring economic growth. It is, however, very important to manage this cultural diversity correctly. One of the major challenges involves rooting out the shadow economy to which migrant professionals are intensely exposed with absolutely no safeguards. Furthermore, it’s essential to raise awareness in order to overcome common prejudices about migrant workers. Only an inclusive, bias-free outlook can improve social interaction and prevent any sort of discrimination,” he added.
As regards the obstacles to inclusion encountered by migrants, Graciela de la Morena, director of the Konecta Foundation, explained that “the provision of official training courses tailored to the job market is essential in order to integrate migrants into society and the job market. Many are unable to have their qualifications recognized, making it difficult for them to get a job. Escuela Konecta, which has already trained more than 850 people, not only offers a professional certificate in teleoperating and online training, but also real job opportunities. Thanks to the public-private partnership between the Region and City Council of Madrid and more than 50 NGOs, plus the involvement of Konecta and its clients, we are driving effective, sustainable integration.”
Since 2011, the Esade - SERES Foundation Lecture Series has brought together more than 145 speakers in more than 50 sessions to discuss trends, experiences and good business practices in the social sphere.
