Projects

Project description

Beginning in April 2024, SGI Europe will implement the project LABOUR-INT 3. Funded by DG HOME, the project will be implemented throughout a period of 36 months with the collaboration of 13 social and economic partners at local, national and international level representing employers, trade unions, public employment services, chambers of commerce and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The LABOUR-INT 3 initiative endeavours to enhance employment opportunities for third-country nationals (migrants and refugees) as an integral aspect of their integration process and, in line with the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 (the Action Plan) and the previous actions carried out in 2016-2019 (Labour INT 1) and 2019-2022 (Labour INT 2), the project aims to promote multi-layered and multi-stakeholder integration paths for migrants and refugees across the EU, from arrival up to the workplace, passing through education, training and job placement, building on the cooperation, commitment of and dialogue with the economic and social partners. The project is also aimed at analysing the European landscape of national practices regarding welcoming services, skills matching, and decent working conditions.

Throughout the project, adaptable practical tools such as guidelines, roadmaps, or other resources of a capacity-building framework for policy-makers, welcoming service providers, employers, trade unions and public employment services will be developed to help overcome the challenges and obstacles identified. By the end of the project, migrants and refugees will directly benefit from LABOUR-INT 3 via the pilot actions and the improved capacity of labour market actors, facilitating their faster transition into the labour market, however policymakers, public services, employers, and trade unions will also benefit from the project through the capacity building and dissemination activities.

LABOUR-INT 3 background

Integrating refugees and other migrants in the labour market at an early stage and at the appropriate skill level has proven to be beneficial for them and for host societies alike. Under the European Partnership for Integration, the European Commission and European Social and Economic Partners (including SGI Europe, ETUC, Eurochambers, BusinessEurope and SMEunited) have worked together since 2016 to create opportunities for integrating refugees and other migrants into the EU labour market, having renewed twice their commitment to reflect on changed circumstances (Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine). Despite the increasing commitment of the European Union (EU), member states and social and economic partners, persisting challenges in relation to employment, education, access to basic services and to the social inclusion of migrants demonstrate that additional action is needed. In line with this, and believing that the integration of migrants in the labour market is a challenge and all actors involved must work together to create the conditions for a quick, effective and long-term integration responsive to changing circumstances, this third edition will:

• promote the further rolling out of the multi-stakeholder approach in countries and regions new to applying it, namely Bulgaria, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia;
• focus on three challenging thematic areas:
  • the performance of welcoming services,
  • the effectiveness of skills matching practices,
  • the provision of decent employment and working conditions.
• also considering the impact of the war in Ukraine on migration and asylum policies in general and labour market integration in particular.

The LABOUR-INT 3 project will aim to find solutions to the above mentioned three main challenges related to the integration of migrants and refugees to the European Union labour market and further promote the principles of European Partnership for Integration and the rolling out of the multi-stakeholder approach in countries that were not confronted with integration issues in the past and are now in the front line. Similarly to its previous editions, LABOUR-INT 3 aims to make a direct impact on migrants and refugees by guiding them through their labour market integration. The project's short-term impact will be twofold: on the one hand, it will provide tangible support to at least 800 migrants and refugees, such as orientation, language training and skills development, that will help them overcome the challenges they face in accessing and succeeding in the labour market. On the other hand, by developing tools for and reaching out to 100 local stakeholders, building the capacity and network between local employers, public employment services, trade unions and other stakeholders, LABOUR-INT 3 will help relevant local stakeholders to perform better, leading to a more effective integration of migrants and refugees. As a longer-term impact, through its multi-stakeholder approach, LABOUR-INT 3 will strengthen local partnerships and thus bring about a faster, more effective and long-term integration of migrants and refugees. While through communicating a positive message on migration, the project will further raise awareness and contributes to establishing a more inclusive and discrimination-free environment and promoting social cohesion.

Project funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG HOME. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.