Tent Named to TIME100 Most Influential Companies ListFrench Governmental Office for Refugee Integration and Tent France Announce Formal Partnership
Paris, September 16, 2024 – The French governmental office for refugee integration, Délégation interministérielle à l’accueil et à l’intégration des réfugiés (Diair), and Tent France have signed a formal partnership to advance the labor market integration of refugees.
Through this partnership, Diair and Tent France – a network of over 30 major companies committed to hiring refugees across the country and helping them become job-ready – reaffirm the critical role businesses must play in refugees’ economic integration and agree to:
- Jointly promote the labor market integration of refugees and, together, mobilize the business community
- Strengthen cross-collaboration across initiatives implemented by each organization, at both the national and local level, in order to maximize impact
- Ensure relevant information on the refugee population and Tent’s network of companies committed to refugees’ labor market inclusion is shared between both organizations.
Employment is the most critical milestone for refugees to integrate in their new country. Yet, according to the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), 22% of refugees in France are still unemployed one year after obtaining their residence permit. Government and the business community must both accelerate their efforts and provide even greater support to refugees – so they can acquire a sufficient level of French, access transport, get connected to potential employers, and secure employment.
“This partnership is based on a strong belief: it is essential that we act to offer all people who are far from the job market – and refugees in particular – an opportunity for integration through work,” said Alain Régnier, Interministerial Delegate for the Reception and Integration of Refugees.
“With a high number of refugees currently unemployed in France, there is great urgency for better multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve greater impact. Tent France advises our member companies on how they can build effective refugee hiring and integration programs through a range of free services – connections to non-profits, advice on how to set up hiring programs, and in-depth training – and the partnership with Diair will be instrumental in accelerating these efforts and the labor market inclusion of refugees nationwide,” said Yasmine Leroux, Director of Tent France.
About Tent France
With France welcoming significant numbers of refugees, businesses have a critical role to play in helping them integrate economically in their new communities. Tent France is a network of over 30 major companies that are committed to hiring refugees across the country and helping them become job-ready. Tent France 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 France, Tent operates in eleven other countries across the Americas and Europe. Find out more at www.tent.org/france.