Introduction
In response to workforce shortages and heightened global awareness of Afghan and Ukrainian refugee crises, businesses have shown unprecedented interest in hiring newly arrived refugees. Recognizing this opportunity, Global Refuge launched the Preferred Refugee Employer (PRE) program to help companies welcome newcomers into the workforce through informed, supportive employment practices.
Many employers struggle to attract and retain newcomer talent. Through the PRE program, Global Refuge equips businesses with proven strategies—such as transportation support, on-site English classes, and dedicated hiring contacts—that remove barriers for newcomers while fostering welcoming workplace cultures. PRE also supports local resettlement organizations by connecting them with employers committed to working with newcomers.
Since its launch, PRE has partnered with 25 companies nationwide, ranging from small family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 firms across industries such as transportation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, food service, and education. These companies have hired over 1,000 newcomers, setting a standard for hiring practices that create meaningful pathways for newcomers to thrive in the workforce.
What is a Preferred Refugee Employer?
A company earns “Preferred Refugee Employer” status by committing to at least five of Global Refuge’s best practices for newcomer hiring. These practices, informed by feedback from affiliate partners and employers, are designed to create welcoming workplaces and address barriers newcomers face in securing and retaining employment. These best practices include:
- Offering a living wage and benefits
- Providing free or subsidized transportation or vehicle purchase assistance
- Establishing a newcomer-specific recruiting pipeline
- Implementing cohort hiring and placement models
- Creating promotion pathways for newcomer employees
- Supporting onboarding for multilingual workers
- Offering ESOL or adult education classes
- Providing vocational mentorship
- Assisting with U.S. citizenship or family reunification processes
- Offering housing assistance
- Providing child care subsidies
- Setting annual goals for refugee hires
Companies with PRE status receive the Global Refuge seal of approval, highlighting their dedication to these supportive practices. These companies also gain access to ongoing training, resources, and joint marketing opportunities to further their impact. In quarterly cohort meetings, PREs engage with subject matter experts and each other to explore topics such as effectively supporting multilingual workers, overcoming transportation barriers, and upskilling and advancing newcomer talent. Global Refuge engages with PREs throughout the year and conducts an annual review to ensure sustained adherence to these commitments.
Key Benefits of the Preferred Refugee Employer Program
1. Establishing Workplace Standards
The PRE program creates unified workplace accommodation standards that serve as a roadmap for assisting newcomers through supportive work environments. It also provides training, resources, and tools to help businesses effectively implement these practices, while tailoring solutions to individual companies and supporting local resettlement organizations.
2. Creating a Trusted Employer Repository
Global Refuge has developed a repository of trusted employers, creating an ecosystem that helps service providers connect newcomers to meaningful jobs while enabling companies to meet hiring needs, support communities, and understand the benefits of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The PRE program links newcomers with employers offering family-sustaining wages and career growth opportunities, guiding employers from initial pledges to implementation by ensuring hiring managers can create welcoming workplaces. Through the designated best practices, employers have a roadmap to increase recruitment and improve retention of newcomer talent, creating pathways to stable employment that drive both individual success and community integration.
3. Enhancing Employer-Community Relationships
The PRE program strengthens employer-community relationships by partnering with local resettlement offices and establishing supportive employment practices, helping newcomers find pathways to stability.
PRE recognizes exceptional companies, like a Fargo glass manufacturer where 75% of plant leadership consists of immigrants and a Charleston landscaping business that celebrates employees’ milestones such as earning driver’s licenses or family reunifications. These employment networks create valuable social connections—colleagues sharing celebratory meals or employers helping secure family reunification legal assistance—inspiring other businesses to follow suit. By fostering a welcoming workplace culture and providing opportunities for advancement, these employers not only support their workforce but also build trust and strengthen ties with the broader community, which contributes to a more connected local economy.
4. Fostering a Community of Innovative Employers
The PRE program fosters a network of businesses that share best practices and innovations to create more newcomer-friendly workplaces. Quarterly cohort meetings provide a collaborative space for employers to discuss successful recruitment strategies, supportive workplace practices, and ways newcomers have contributed to business growth. These meetings, led by Global Refuge, focus on key areas such as career growth opportunities and effective engagement with multilingual workers.
Employers in the network, ranging from those with years of experience to those hiring newcomers for the first time, exchange ideas on simple but impactful practices. These initiatives include offering flexible holidays to accommodate a range of cultural celebrations, providing English classes or other continuing education opportunities, and implementing mentorship programs to support newcomer employees. This exchange of ideas strengthens businesses and accelerates newcomer integration by fostering workplaces where employees feel valued and supported, enabling them to build professional networks more quickly and contribute meaningfully to their workplaces and communities.
Call to Action
Building stronger partnerships across resettlement agencies, nonprofits, and newcomer-serving organizations is essential to meet workforce needs and maximize employer engagement. While the PRE program has proven that companies want to support newcomer integration, employer demand often exceeds the capacity and geographic reach of any single agency.
We invite employers, service providers, and community partners to join us in this critical effort. Through collaboration, we can amplify our impact, streamline engagement, and create more pathways to family-sustaining jobs for newcomers. Global Refuge welcomes new partners to help expand this successful model as we centralize efforts and improve support for both businesses and newcomers.
Ways to get involved:
- If you are an employer or work with employers who are dedicated to newcomer hiring and would be strong candidates for the PRE program, we want to hear from you.
- If you are a service provider supporting newcomers with employment, we would love to connect them with employers in the PRE network.
If you are interested in partnering with the PRE network, please fill out this form. For questions and other inquiries, please email partnership@globalrefuge.org.
