Home » Employment News » Amazon and Pfizer and more giants will hire nearly 20,000 refugees

Amazon and Pfizer and more giants will hire nearly 20,000 refugees

By Nithya Bose in Employment News, posted September 20, 2022

Amazon, Pfizer, and other major US companies have said they will employ more than 20,000 refugees in the next three years.

Thousands of refugees from war-torn areas like Ukraine and Afghanistan have arrived in the US in the last year.

On Monday, September 19, the Tent Partnership for Refugees - a non-profit organization that advocates companies' refugee recruitment, made the announcement that giant corporations would be doing their bit to help those people integrate.

The group said that the promises indicate a growing awareness among US firms that recruiting refugees boosts their business.

It said studies have found consumers respect ethical behavior and that refugees make more loyal workers.

Hamdi Ulukaya, the Chobani chief executive and founder of Tent said: “Every single number that is announced is a life.

"It has its own story and has an impact for generations and generations to come.”

More than 100 leading US corporations have joined the Tent Partnership network.

The 20,000-person recruiting target is a fraction of the overall number of Afghan and Ukrainian immigrants in the last year.

US government data shows about 80,000 Afghans have landed in the US since the collapse of the US-backed Afghan government.

An International Rescue Committee report published last month said around 41,000 of the relocated Afghans are of working age, and many have already entered the American labor force.

The IRC report did not specify how many people had found work.

Based on a survey of 1,800 Afghan immigrants, the average hourly wage is just over $16.50, and the primary hiring industries were manufacturing, retail, and food services.

Need Career Advice? Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career

The Tent Partnership says about 150,000 Ukrainians have landed in the US on a variety of visas, including tourist visas that do not allow them to work.

Roughly 50,000 people have come under the US government's United For Ukraine initiative, which attempts to give Ukrainians a means to seek asylum in the US.

Amazon, Walmart, and Uber Technologies have emerged as popular spots for Afghans and other immigrants seeking their first job in America.

Amazon made the pledge on Monday and has promised to recruit 5,000 migrants over the next three years.

Marriott International and Hilton Worldwide Holdings have each vowed to recruit 1,500 refugees.

Pfizer has said that it will recruit 500 refugees.

Thousands of refugees will also benefit from training resources and internship opportunities provided by US corporations.

In total, 45 companies have made the announcements.

Tent estimated that the promises will generate more than $900 million in revenue for refugees each year.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.