ISS To Employ 1,000 Refugees in North America

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20 September 2022

As part of a collaboration with Tent Partnership for Refugees, ISS has committed to hiring at least 1,000 refugees across its North America business by the end of 2025.

The United States is set to welcome hundreds of thousands of refugees in the coming years, including almost 100,000 people from Afghanistan by the end of 2022, 100,000 Ukrainians who have fled Russia’s invasion, and up to 125,000 refugees per year from other parts of the world who will arrive through the resettlement program.

Refugees often face significant challenges finding work, including language barriers, difficulty certifying their credentials, and a lack of a professional network. The Tent Partnership programme aims to reduce barriers for refugees to help them integrate by providing training and employment.

ISS’ pledge was announced at The U.S. Business Summit on Refugees, a network of 260 major businesses committed to supporting the economic integration of refugees.

The FM business is also part of the Sunflower Project, another Tent initiative, which has a mission to accelerate the economic inclusion of Ukrainian refugee women in Europe through better access to employment. Last year, ISS joined the Tent Mentoring Refugee Women initiative in Europe, committing to mentoring 50 refugee women over the next three years in Spain, France and the Netherlands.

Margot Slattery, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at ISS World Services A/S commented: “We live in very unsettled times, and we must all support where and how we can. ISS has an over 120-year legacy as a people company, and we have always had a strong drive to make a true difference for people and societies. Today, as we work globally for customers across 30 markets and have more than 350,000 employees, our social responsibility is ever more evident. We are pleased to support this important initiative and provide opportunities and a chance for stability for so many people fleeing global disruptions.”

Blackstone Real Estate and Sodexo also Join Refugee Employment Pledge

ISS has joined companies such as Accenture, Blackstone Real Estate, Deloitte, FedEx, Kellogg, Sodexo and The Body Shop, who are also committing to hire and train thousands of refugees in the United States over the next three years.

Kathleen McCarthy, Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate, who has pledged to hire 2,000 refugees over three years said: “Blackstone’s advantage lies in our deeply integrated approach to building resilient companies and properties, and doing so at scale. Today’s commitment to 2,000 refugee hires across our portfolio reflects tremendous focus on this effort from our team and allows our portfolio companies and real estate properties to welcome a powerful spectrum of backgrounds, identities and experiences.”

Picture: a photograph showing several hands touching. Image Credit: ISS

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 20 September 2022

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