Netherlands: 13 leading firms commit to helping 20,000 refugees enter labour market

On 8 April, at the Second Dutch Business Summit on Refugees, co-hosted by the Tent Partnership for Refugees in the Netherlands, a series of the country’s multinationals – including recruitment group Randstad, dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina, and electricity transmission system operator TenneT – made pledges to help over 20,000 Ukrainian refugees find a job and integrate in the Netherlands and across Europe over the next three years. The Tent Partnership for Refugees is a network of over 220 major companies committed to including refugees. Set up by Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of US dairy company Chobani, with a view to ending the worldwide refugee crisis, the partnership advises member companies on the implementation of effective programmes on the employment and sustainable integration of refugees. “It is my deep conviction that diversity makes a business stronger. As one of the companies facilitating Europe’s energy transition, we have many positions to fill at TenneT. In times when the labour market is tight, hiring refugee talent is a win-win solution – TenneT is building a diverse and talented workforce, and refugee talent can find meaningful work at our company,” says the firm’s CEO Manon van Beek. At the first Dutch Business Summit on Refugees, held in 2019, company commitments led to the creation of jobs, training and mentoring for more than 13,000 refugees, according to the Tent Partnership for Refugees.