TXT Quence wins "Welcome 2022" award

TXT Quence wins UNHCR's Welcome 2022 award for labour inclusion of refugees

Quence is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious UNHCR Welcome 2022 award for its commitment to the labour inclusion of refugees. The award, presented today by the UN Refugee Agency, celebrates companies that have contributed to the professional inclusion of nearly 9,300 refugees during the year 2022. 

The Welcome award is the result of the programme "Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration", an initiative promoted by the UNHCR that has activated as many as 22,000 career paths in Italy over the last five years, involving over 520 companies active in the country. This programme, which began seven years ago as a prize to be awarded to companies that hire refugees, has turned into a winning model that unites a plurality of actors, from civil society to trade associations, from public bodies to the companies themselves. 

The numbers of the Welcome programme speak of constant growth and an ever-increasing positive impact. This year, the total number of award-winning companies rose from 107 to 167, and their presence extended to 17 Italian regions, up from 13 the previous year. In addition, the number of large companies involved increased from 35 to 58. In terms of employment, there was a significant increase both in absolute terms (9,300 compared to 6,900 the previous year) and in the percentage of women employed, which rose from 10% to 18%. The majority of those hired had a fixed-term contract (93%), but the growing number of permanent contracts (5%) is significant. The prevailing age group among those placed in the labour market is between 18 and 35 (76%). The main countries of origin of the refugees included are Nigeria and Pakistan, while approximately 400 Ukrainian refugees were included. 

Among the award-winning companies, the 'accommodation and catering' sector ranks first with 23%, followed by the 'manufacturing' sector at 22%. In addition, the construction sector shows a significant increase at 7%. Among the factors that determined the hiring of refugees, 25% of the companies indicated a greater willingness to engage with the community and the disadvantaged, while 10% chose to hire refugees for their technical (4%) and soft skills (6%). 4% of the companies indicated that young Italians were not available for the jobs sought. 

"Winning the UNHCR Welcome award is an important testament to Quence's ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion," comments [Name of Quence representative]. "We are proud to support the inclusion of refugees in the labour market and to contribute to the economic and social development of the communities in which we operate. This recognition reinforces our commitment to fostering a work environment that reflects the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion." 

UNHCR also awarded the We Welcome logo to 51 organisations, including cooperatives, non-profit organisations, foundations, trade associations, trade unions, labour services and local authorities, which supported the inclusion of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in the labour market. The role of civil society organisations in supporting the Welcome programme is becoming increasingly important, so much so that the UNHCR created the WelcomeNet network, which now has 56 associations distributed throughout the country. 

In the coming weeks, the Welcome-in-one-click platform will be launched, offering the actors involved - refugees, companies and civil society organisations - a space to meet and collaborate further. UNHCR, through the Welcome programme, intends to address the challenge of building the first labour corridors, legal entry channels for refugee workers, introduced by recent legislation. 

.The project Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration is financed by the Intesa Sanpaolo Benefit Fund, implemented in cooperation with the Adecco Foundation and supported by the Ministry of Labour, Confindustria and the Global Compact Network Italy.