A total of 227 companies were recognized today in Rome for their commitment to integrating refugees into the workforce, as part of the “Welcome. Working for Refugee Integration” programme promoted by UNHCR. Now in its seventh edition, the initiative honored businesses from a wide range of industries, including several from the wood-furniture supply chain—an indication of the sector’s growing awareness and engagement with social and professional inclusion.
The results from the 2024 edition confirm the programme’s national relevance: over 16,200 professional pathways were activated this year, marking a 38 percent increase compared to 2023. The total number of job placements has now reached 50,300 since the project was launched in 2017. These are concrete outcomes in a global context marked by a record number of people forced to flee war and persecution, compounded by a sharp decline in humanitarian funding.
Welcome has grown into a structured ecosystem that brings together businesses, institutions, and civil society around a shared strategy for inclusion. Promoted by UNHCR Italy in collaboration with the Adecco Foundation and with support from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the programme has involved 969 companies over the years, offering an effective response to the mismatch between labor market demand and supply.
The vast majority of the pathways resulted in formal employment contracts (over 98 percent), with 5.2 percent being permanent positions. The proportion of women hired remains stable at 19 percent. Among the main motivations expressed by awarded companies are the desire to contribute to community well-being (62 percent), a commitment to internal and external cultural change (43 percent), and adherence to corporate social responsibility principles (41 percent).
The accommodation and food service sector accounts for the largest share of participating companies (20 percent), followed by construction (18 percent) and manufacturing (15 percent), a category that also includes several businesses from the wood and furniture industry.
In addition to companies, UNHCR awarded the “We Welcome” logo to 57 third-sector organizations, trade associations, unions, and local authorities that contributed in various ways to the success of the initiative. Meanwhile, the digital platform Welcome-in-one-click, launched in late 2023, has entered a new operational phase to facilitate the matching of refugee skills with job offers. At the same time, the first “labour corridors” have been launched in cooperation with the government and businesses, in sectors such as IT, goldsmithing, and shipbuilding, with further projects set to begin in the coming weeks.
