Mexico City, 7 February  – A recently announced global partnership agreement between IOM and the Tent Partnership for Refugees – a global network of 350+ companies committed to the labor market integration of refugees  – will help to accelerate the workforce inclusion of migrants and other forcibly displaced people around the world. The initial focus of the partnership will be on Mexico, where their joint efforts will help the private sector access a wider pipeline of displaced talent across the country.

“Ensuring migrants have access to formal work permits allows them to contribute to the communities in which they are living and to better integrate into those communities”, said Amy Pope, Director General of IOM.

In recent years, Mexico has welcomed more than 600,000 migrants and refugees, displaced from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, and Cuba – yet many have been unable to find formal work. At the same time, 75 percent of employers in Mexico say they struggle to find workers and COPARMEX, the Mexican Employers Association, reports between 1.2 and 1.6 million vacancies in Mexico’s labour market.

IOM and Tent’s new partnership was highlighted at an event that was organized by Tent to launch a first-of-its-kind national coalition – Tent México – through which 46 companies committed to reduce the barriers that refugees and migrants face to entering the job market. The list of companies joining Tent México can be seen here.

“At Tent, we approach refugee and migrants hiring with a business mindset – as the Mexican economy continues to grow, companies have an incredible opportunity to meet their labor needs by hiring these workers,” said Gideon Maltz, CEO of Tent. “By doing so, companies will see incredible dividends, they will gain loyal and dedicated workers, all while helping refugees and migrants become self-sufficient and contribute to their new community. I am thrilled to deepen our cooperation with the IOM today.”

A new study published by Tent reveals that consumers in Mexico across all age groups exhibit strong support for companies hiring refugees, with 74 per cent of respondents more likely to buy from companies taking this action. Notably, this percentage is higher than any of the other eight markets where Tent has conducted similar research, including the United States, Spain, and Germany, underscoring Mexican consumers’ strong support for companies helping refugees.

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For more information, please contact:

Mohammedali Abunajela, Tel: +41 79 523 56 62, Email: mmabunajela@iom.int

Alberto Cabezas, Tel: + 52 55 4525 8361, Email: acabezas@iom.int