New Private Sector Coalition Tent France Launches With More Than 30 Companies and Shared Commitment to Advance the Labor Market Integration of Refugees in France

Paris, November 21, 2023 – The Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) – a global network of companies committed to the economic integration of refugees – is announcing the launch of Tent France, a coalition of more than 30 major companies helping refugees living in France enter the local labor market through job preparation and employment. 

France currently hosts more than 600,000 refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others. Despite growing labor shortages across numerous sectors such as hospitality, construction, and food services, few refugees are formally employed full-time. With refugees facing a variety of obstacles when seeking formal employment – such as lower language proficiency, transportation issues, and lack of social and professional networks – businesses have a pivotal role to play in addressing these barriers and hiring refugees. 

“Our research shows that companies hiring refugees see higher retention rates among their refugee employees, increased engagement among all employees, and positive consumer response,” said Gideon Maltz, CEO of Tent. “Including refugees is thus not only the right thing to do, it’s also good for business, and the impact of Tent France will have a long-lasting impact both on refugees and the companies hiring them.” 

Tent France companies include: Accor, Adecco Group, Amazon, BNP Paribas, Concentrix + Webhelp, DLA Piper, Foundever, Generali, Hyatt, Idex, IHG Hotels & Resorts, IKEA, Ipsos, Keolis, KFC, L’Oréal Groupe, Marriott International, Michelin, O’Tacos, Pfizer, Randstad, Sanofi, Schneider Electric, Salesforce, Sodexo, Starbucks, STEF, Suez, Teleperformance, and Uniqlo.

“A job is one of the most critical milestones as refugees seek to rebuild their lives in a new place they can call home,” said Yasmine Leroux, Director for France at Tent. “The companies in Tent France are leading the way when it comes to including refugees in our country. We at Tent France are committed to helping them accelerate their hiring efforts to make an even bigger impact on refugees’ lives.”

“For several years now, Sodexo has been hiring refugees, giving them a chance not only to provide for themselves, but also to integrate more fully into their new country. These colleagues are an asset for our group and we are proud to be able to work alongside other major Tent France member companies to enable more refugees who have settled in France to gain access to work.” commented Alain Masson, Deputy Director Corporate Social Responsibility, Sodexo France.

Tent France will offer participating companies a host of services free of charge including: resources and trainings for HR teams; the sharing of best practices and ideas, distilled from Tent’s global network of companies and tailored to the French context; regular convenings and workshops with other Tent France member companies for peer-to-peer learning; and ongoing introductions to best-in-class partners that can connect companies to refugee talent.

Tent France builds on the global activities of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, comprising over 350 major global companies committed to refugees’ economic integration; as well as the work of “Refugees are Talents” – a former collective of companies in France promoting initiatives to support refugees. As part of the establishment of Tent France, select company representatives from this collective now form Tent France’s Steering Committee.

For media enquiries:
[email protected] 

About the Tent Partnership for Refugees
With more and more refugees displaced around the world, businesses have a critical role to play in helping refugees integrate economically in their new communities. Tent was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of Chobani – a multibillion dollar food company in the U.S. – to mobilize global businesses to fill this gap. Today, Tent is a network of over 350 major companies committed to helping hundreds of thousands of refugees access local labor markets by helping them become job-ready and connecting them to work. Find out more at www.tent.org.