Adecco says will find jobs for 85,000 refugees

The logo of Swiss Adecco Group is seen at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland October 30, 2018. Picture taken October 30, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

ZURICH (Reuters) -Adecco Group will help 85,000 refugees to find jobs and train 17,000 people by the end of 2027, the Swiss recruitment company said on Wednesday, raising its ambition from a previous target.

The number of refugees in European countries rose to 12.4 million at the end of 2022 from 7 million at the end of 2021 as refugees from Ukraine sought safety in nearby countries, according to data from the UN’s refugee agency.

“No one chooses to be a refugee. We strongly believe that work is not just a source of income, but a first, important step for rebuilding a life, integrating in a new country and finding a place in society again,” Christoph Catoir, the head of the company’s Adecco general staffing business, said.

The new pledge, which includes setting up a dedicated website to help refugees find jobs, follows on from a promise Adecco made in June 2023, when it said it wanted to find jobs for 50,000 refugees and provide technical and language training for 10,000.

Adecco has already joined a scheme in Germany to help employ 10,000 refugees there by the end of 2025.

Its latest initiative aims to tackle problems such as language skills, transportation issues, a lack of childcare, as well as inadequate social and professional networks.

“With Adecco’s help, tens of thousands of refugees – from Ukraine and elsewhere – will find a job allowing them to provide for themselves and their families,” said Gideon Maltz, from the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a group of more than 350 companies committed to integrating refugees.

(Reporting by John Revill, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Barbara Lewis)