Refugee Workforce

Book excerpt: Refugee Workforce weaves dynamic stories of refugees and the companies who have engaged them with hard facts to provide readers with a compelling case for hiring refugees in the American workplace. Heated immigration debates rise to a boil as an unprecedented 70.8million, and counting, are displaced worldwide. While politicians fight to limit immigration, the U.S. economy struggles under the weight of a growing problem: a gaping hole in skilled trades workers.As of May 2019, job openings soared to over 7.5 million, leaving business owners desperate for skilled and dependable labor. With unemployment rates at their lowest in over half a century, where can these companies turn for the help they need?The labor shortage problem is growing, but we believe the answer to it has also been growing in cities across the United States: the refugee workforce.Refugees are individuals who have been forced to leave their home country because of war, persecution,ornatural disaster. Resettled in countries across the world, they must quickly acclimate to their new environments. They are resilient, and they are motivated--factors leading many refugees to take humble jobs well below their occupational and educational capacity in order to provide for themselves.In 2014, Chris Chancey began to recognize how these two needs, when put together, could serve as a solution to each other. Now, after five years of staffing American companies with the refugee workforce, he is more convinced than ever that hiring refugees is not only a socially responsible decision, but also a profitable decision.In "Refugee Workforce," author, Chris Chancey, shares his experiences, and pulls back the curtain on what he believes is the best-kept secret for the health of America's economy. Here's what people are saying about "Refugee Workforce": "With firsthand experience in placing refugees in businesses, Chris and Katie dispel the myths about refugees and establish the vital role refugees play in the U.S. workforce and economy." --ALI NOORANI, National Immigration Forum // "This book is a must read for manufacturing companies desperately seeking motivated and dependable employees." --DOUG GATES, Global Chair of Industrial Manufacturing, KPMG // "This message has the ability to change every workplace and every team. Putting action to this book makes all our lives better." --JEFF SHINABARGER, President, Plywood People // "This book serves as a practical resource for companies looking to hire and retain dependable team members-- improving their own competitiveness while helping both refugee and host communities thrive together." --PREMAL SHAH, Co-founder, Kiva // "I'm happy this resource exists to support any business owner facing labor and talent changes as they move towards a stronger future for their business." --TARA RUSSELL, Senior VP, Global Impact at Carnival Corporation