Staffing giants Adecco, ManpowerGroup, and Randstad and Polish staffing firm EWL Group announced they are committing to connect 152,000 refugees to work.

The staffing firms are among leading businesses pledging to accelerate the economic integration of Ukrainian refugee women and other refugees.

41 companies have collectively announced ambitious commitments to provide over 250,000 Ukrainian refugee women and other refugees with jobs and training across Europe. Brands including Hilton, Marriott International, and Teleperformance have committed to hire 13,680 refugees into their workforce. Major companies including Accenture, Generali, and Indeed announced they are committed to train more than 86,000 refugees.

“With no end in sight to the Russian invasion of Ukraine – and with the European Union welcoming millions of Ukrainians – it's imperative that refugees are offered longer-term inclusion and hope through integration into the labour market," said Margaritis Schinas, Vice President of the European Commission, who gave the keynote speech at the Tent European Business Summit in Paris, organised by the Tent Partnership for Refugees.

Staffing firms made commitments to connect refugees to work over the next three years, by including them in their contingent workforces as well as placing them in jobs with their clients across Europe.

Adecco said it will connect at least 50,000 refugees to work while Randstad will connect at least 40,000 refugees to work. ManpowerGroup added that it will connect at least 30,000 refugees to work while Polish staffing firm EWL Group will connect at least 35,000 refugees to work.

Christophe Catoir, President of Adecco and co-host of the Tent European Business Summit said, “Adecco has a long-standing commitment of supporting refugees in need. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, we have helped more than 10,000 refugees connect to work but recognize the increasing need for companies like ours to do even more, given the sobering reality that many are expected to remain displaced for years to come. It's inspiring to see dozens of companies from across Europe come together with such bold commitments at this crucial moment, and Adecco is incredibly proud to be at the forefront of this charge."

Randstad announced it is reinforcing its support to refugees across the globe with a renewed pledge to improve the work lives of 50,000 people over the next three years (2023-2025), of which it aims to train 10,000 and place 40,000 people in jobs.

Chris Heutink, COO and executive board member at Randstad, said, “We are on track to surpass our 2024 refugee support goal, and emboldened to do more to assist those in search of security and economic freedom to achieve it for themselves and their families. As such, we are announcing an even more impactful goal to support 50,000 people through skilling and job placement by 2025.”

“Refugees are an important part of the talent pool, many of whom carry exceptionally important skills and experiences. We’re proud of the employers who have worked with us to fill these gaps and make a meaningful difference. We call on more companies to follow suit by opening up their vacancies for refugee candidates.”

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and President of the Tent Partnership for Refugees and CEO and founder of Chobani, said, "The moment a refugee gets a job is the moment they stop being a refugee. I'm so proud that the companies stepping up today will help more than 250,000 Ukrainian women and other refugees across Europe stand on their own two feet, giving them a chance to live lives of dignity."

Tent said it will look to connect more companies regionally with refugee talent pools at scale,  particularly in Poland, which hosts the largest Ukrainian refugee population at 1.5 million. To that end, Google.org said it will leverage Google's resources and technology know-how to bridge the gap between businesses and Ukrainian refugees in Poland.