Fair Recruitment for Refugees

Fair recruitment is an important step towards decent work.

For refugees and host communities, however, the pathway to a job can be complex. Legal and administrative requirements, limited access to reliable information and reliance on informal recruitment channels can make it more difficult to access employment safely and transparently, and may increase exposure to discrimination, exploitation and other unfair recruitment practices.

Under the PROSPECTS Programme, and building on the ILO’s Fair Recruitment Initiative, the ILO and UNHCR are implementing a dedicated project to advance fair recruitment for refugees and host communities.

What we do

The project works with governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, refugees and refugee-led organizations, employment and recruitment actors, the private sector and other partners to:

• Build evidence on how refugees access jobs and navigate formal and informal recruitment pathways;
• Support policy dialogue and practical approaches that strengthen fair and inclusive recruitment;
• Strengthen knowledge and capacity among organizations supporting refugees and host communities to understand and promote fair recruitment and rights at work;
• Work with businesses to strengthen responsible recruitment and employment practices; and
• Share knowledge and practical tools that can be adapted across forced displacement contexts.

From principles to practice

Through research, policy dialogue, capacity development and practical pilots, the project is exploring how fair recruitment principles can be applied in forced displacement contexts.