Panel: Consider Hiring Refugees, Other Newcomers to Fill Your Talent Needs

​That carton of Chobani yogurt in your refrigerator is the product of a company that built success on the efforts of its loyal, hardworking employees—many of whom are or have been refugees to the U.S., said Valerie Wasielewski, director of people team at Chobani.

Wasielewski was among panel members at the SHRM INCLUSION 2023 conference session "Beyond Welcome: A Call for U.S. Employers to Champion Refugee Workers" on Oct. 30 in Savannah, Ga.

"Immigrants and refugees have been a crucial part of our organization, growing us to where we are today," she said. "We want to be inclusive in the communities we serve." Chobani's CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya, has said these newcomers to the U.S. are incredibly loyal and motivated workers.

Hiring refugees and individuals seeking asylum is "a great opportunity" for both the employer and the employee, said panelist Patty Cousins, global officer, HR operations and partnerships for Marriott International.

"We're always looking for a talent pipeline," she said, and noted that hiring newcomers to the U.S. has resulted in "a great mutually beneficial relationship.

"They have been through so much to get here, so much hardship, so many trials. We can provide an entry-level job that can get them on their feet. They may stay with us, or maybe they move on."

"Newcomer" is an umbrella term over the following designations:

• Refugee: A person outside their country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). They are required to apply for Lawful Permanent Resident ("green card") status one year after being admitted.
  

• Asylum seeker: A person who meets the definition of refugee and is already in the U.S. or is seeking admission at a port of entry. They may apply for green card status one year after their grant of asylum, according to DHS.
  

Once granted asylum, the asylum seeker get all rights and benefits of refugees, explained panelist Annie Fenton, senior director at Welcome.US. The national not-for-profit initiative is based in New York City and was launched to assist in the resettling of the Afghan people after the fall of Kabul in 2021 as well as Ukrainian people displaced by war.

• Humanitarian parole: A foreign national, who is otherwise inadmissible, allowed to temporarily enter the U.S. due to an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit. It's usually granted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Tips for Employers

While newcomers often hold college and postgraduate degrees, are multi-lingual, and have cross-cultural skills, employers likely will still need to provide training, set expectations and point them to resources that can help them get settled in their new country.

Among panelists' recommendations:

• Reach out to local resettlement agencies, Fenton advised.
  "Most states have an office; go there first," she said.
  
  
• Check your hiring algorithm to determine whether it is filtering out people who may have the skills you seek but don't meet other hiring requirements such as college degrees or that may be screening out international credentials that don't conform with your job application.
  

According to the Migration Policy Institute, there are approximately 2 million college-educated refugees and immigrants in the U.S. who are underemployed or unemployed because of various systemic barriers, including English-language barriers, said Katie Brown, who moderated the panel. She is founder and chief education officer at EnGen, a virtual English language learning platform.