To mark World Refugee Day, more than 100 companies join the Tent coalition to support refugees in the US as new data shows consumers more likely to back brands that support refugees.
The Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) has announced that more than 100 major companies have joined its Coalition for Refugees in the US to help create economic opportunity for forcibly displaced people as they start their new lives in America. As part of this growing Coalition launched in the wake of the evacuation of Kabul, some of America’s biggest companies have pledged to explore how to reduce barriers for refugees to integrate into the US economy – a lifeline for displaced people and a vital step for America to harness their economic potential. New companies joining the coalition include Burger King, Cargill, Delta Air Lines, Indeed, Lyft, and Marriott.
“I am so proud of the more than 100 companies stepping up for refugees today – this outpouring of support for refugees would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago,” Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani and Founder of Tent, said. “We must seize this moment and encourage all companies in every sector and every state to support refugees in the way they know best: by giving them a job to help them start a new life.”
SUPPORTING REFUGEES MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE
Building on this Coalition, and in coordination with Welcome.US, CEOs – including Ulukaya, Pfizer’s Albert Bourla, ManpowerGroup’s Jonas Prising, and EmPath’s Carlos Gutierrez, the former US Secretary of Commerce – issued an urgent call to action, challenging the country’s largest employers to commit to hire, train, mentor, and support refugees over the next three years. They called on companies to announce their initial commitments to help tens of thousands of refugees at a US Business Summit for Refugees to be held in September.
Tent also released a new survey with the NYU Stern School of Business showing that supporting refugees makes good business sense. The research reveals that 63% of U.S. consumers are more likely to purchase from brands involved in helping refugees – exceeding the percentage of consumers that back brands selling fair trade products or environmentally-friendly products.
“With equity as one of our corporate values, Pfizer set a goal to hire at least 100 refugees by the end of 2022 and mentor at least 150. We are proud to have already hired 50 refugees who are bringing a wealth of ingenuity, hard work, and life experience to our business,” Bourla said. “Additionally, we have begun to mentor 70 refugees to date. As these people rebuild their lives, our company will thrive too, and I urge more businesses to join us in welcoming our refugee neighbours into our workforces.”
OPPORTUNITY TO DIVERSITY TALENT POOL
“As labour shortages continue to hinder so many sectors of our economy, companies will benefit by including traditionally overlooked job candidates – like refugees – in their workforce. We call on more businesses to seize this unique opportunity to diversify and expand their talent pool, while helping refugees better integrate in their communities,” Prising said.
“As someone who came to the US as a child refugee from Cuba, I believe that the private sector can have a transformational and uplifting impact on communities and whole societies – and businesses will benefit when they open their doors to refugees,” Gutierrez said.
The organisation also announced a summit in September that will feature significant corporate commitments to hire and train refugees. The names of the more than 100 major companies that have joined the Tent Coalition for Refugees in the US can be found here.
FILM: MY FIRST DAY AT WORK
To mark World Refugee Week 2022, the Tent Partnership for Refugees premiered a new film, “My First Day at Work”. The film, which celebrates refugees’ contributions to the workplace, features two refugee employees working at Tent member companies, Pfizer and Sodexo. The message of the film is simple: “The first day at work is the first step towards rebuilding a refugee’s life. Refugees make our workplaces stronger, more dynamic, and more innovative – and the companies that hire and welcome them stand to gain from their resilience and hard work.” Watch the film below.
Earlier this year, together with Welcome.US, 35 CEOs launched a new effort to support resettlement, upskilling and hiring refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. Click here to read more.
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