Jobcenter Munich and Tent Deutschland announce strategic  partnership ahead of Career Day Munich 2024

• Jobcenter Munich and Tent Deutschland have signed a memorandum of understanding, formalizing their cooperation to accelerate refugees’ labour market integration in Munich

• The partnership kicks off with the jointly organized Career Day Munich, a recruitment fair for refugees, taking place on December 11 at the Munich Marriott Hotel

December 11 2024 – Jobcenter Munich, a joint institution of the Federal Employment Agency and the City of Munich, and Tent Deutschland, a network of over 60 major companies that are committed to hiring refugees across the country and helping them become job-ready, have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate access to employment for refugees. 

The organizations signed a memorandum of understanding that sets out their intention to combine efforts, resources, best practices, and ideas to mobilize companies and better address common challenges preventing refugees from securing jobs, with the aim of accelerating the integration of refugees into Germany’s labor market.  Jobcenter Munich will connect its refugee talent pool with Tent Deutschland member companies with open positions, as well as with Tent Deutschland member companies participating in Tent’s Refugee Women Mentorship Initiative – which supports refugee women in their career development through professional mentorship by employees at participating companies. 

The partnership between Jobcenter Munich and Tent Deutschland kicks off with Career Day Munich, a recruitment fair for refugees taking place on December 11 with the support of the Munich Employment Agency. This is the event’s third edition after two successful fairs in 2023 that saw more than 4,600 refugee job seekers attending the events. This year’s fair at the Munich Marriott Hotel will bring together hundreds of refugee job seekers in the Munich area to meet with over 20 major businesses with open vacancies and spanning a variety of industries – including Tent Deutschland member companies adidas, Marriott, and McDonald´s.  

More than 2.6 million refugees currently live in Germany, a majority of whom face many obstacles accessing jobs, including language barriers, lack of social and professional networks, childcare needs, and transportation issues. Consequently, they have a higher unemployment rate than people born in Germany, and around half a million refugees are unemployed across the country. In Bavaria alone, there are approximately 40,000 refugees who do not yet have jobs. Businesses, public authorities, non-profit organizations, and other support services are working together to tackle these barriers to better support refugees into work. 

“The integration of refugees is and will remain a key focus, even beyond 2024,” says Anette Farrenkopf, managing director of the Jobcenter Munich. “And our partnership with Tent Deutschland shows that initiatives and projects developed together can ultimately lead to concrete support for people locally. The Career Day Munich, which we launched and which is now an established part of Munich’s events calendar, is a prime example of the success of our cooperation.”

“While companies in Bavaria and across the country struggle to find workers, we know that refugee jobseekers can be a win-win solution for these increasingly severe labor shortages,” said Christian Schmidt, Director of Tent Deutschland. “ We look forward to achieving even more together and helping even more refugees find employment as we deepen our joint efforts.”

Career Day Munich will be taking place on:

Wednesday, 11 December 2024 

10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Munich Marriott Hotel

For the interviews at the job fair, the organizers offer assistance with language barriers as needed. 

About Tent Deutschland

With Germany welcoming 2.6 million refugees, businesses have a critical role to play in helping them integrate economically in their new communities. Tent Deutschland is a network of over 60 major companies that are committed to hiring refugees across the country and helping them become job-ready. Tent Deutschland is the national coalition of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, which was founded in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani – a multibillion dollar food company in the U.S. – to mobilize the world’s largest employers to help refugees access local labor markets. In addition to Germany, Tent operates in ten other countries across the Americas and Europe. Find out more at www.tent.org/Deutschland.