Through my work with refugees, I have witnessed firsthand the struggles that forcibly displaced people have endured—their bravery in rebuilding lives and fighting for acceptance into new societies. Despite the warm welcome we now see in countries like Poland, Germany, and Colombia, refugees have been historically seen as a burden.
But what if we instead viewed refugees as potential talent, and even business builders? What if countries actually competed for the opportunity to provide new lives to refugees? And what if tech and business leaders led the charge?
With the number of refugees fleeing their countries expected to reach 30 million globally this year in the largest refugee crisis since World War II, it is time for business leaders to re-frame the issue.
History teaches us that refugees have helped transform the nations where they resettled. After World War II, Australia was revitalized by the infusion of some two million new immigrants, many of whom were refugees from Europe and Asia.
After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the United States begrudgingly accepted some 125,000 Vietnamese refugees, many of whom spoke little or no English and had no money and few job skills. By 2012, the median income of Vietnamese immigrants was slightly higher than native-born Americans, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Today, many refugees bring education and skills. Ukraine’s high education levels, for example, are reflected in its fast-growing IT sector, and in the nation’s 130,000 annual engineering graduates. When I visited refugees in Colombia, I was struck by the many high-income, highly educated Venezuelans who had trekked through dangers.
Studies show that refugees tend to be “exceptionally entrepreneurial, thanks to their resilience, drive and strong work ethic,” as noted by The Tent for Refugees, founded by Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya, who immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey. Once refugees are settled into well-matched employment, they tend to stay in those jobs. Retention rates are typically high.
Recently, more than 65,000 Afghans who evacuated during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan have settled in American communities, with hundreds more still on U.S. military bases abroad. While data on the skill levels of these immigrants are not yet available, organizations such as the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service note that thousands of refugees arrived in the U.S. knowing English and bring along technical training and/or university degrees.
Even when language skills and education are deficient, there is a tremendous desire to contribute to the economy and build better lives.
In my visits to refugee settlements as a Refugees International board member, I’ve been moved by the stories of people who had to pack their lives into one suitcase—relying on the mercy of others and not knowing where they might find shelter. I have seen fences decorated with devalued currencies and the remnants of broken suitcase wheels pulled by fleeing families forced to walk miles.
In the longer term, the U.S. economy can benefit enormously from refugees who want to build a better life—particularly at a time when our country has more job openings than it does unemployed citizens. The COVID-era Great Resignation is a source of consternation—and alarm—in C suites; opening our HR doors could be part of the solution.
In my own field of cybersecurity, more than 600,000 positions are unfilled. We need motivated and diverse talent, reflecting backgrounds from around the world, who can be trained and provided opportunity.
Indeed, the competitive edge provided by immigrants (a category that includes refugees) is well documented. According to research by the Partnership for a New American Economy, in 2011, 76% of patents awarded to the top 10 patent-producing American universities had at least one foreign-born inventor.
Countries long resistant to refugees are already pivoting to embrace the benefits of incoming new talent. President Biden’s commitment to accept 100,000 Ukranians fleeing the war is a welcome start. Japan, which accepted only 47 refugees in 2020, is now opening its door to Ukrainian refugees and offering a variety of support. While this is both a geopolitical and humanitarian gesture, the prime minister quoted the Japanese saying: “We should help each other in times of need”.
From where in the world will emerge the next Albert Einstein, Freddie Mercury, Marc Chagall, Sergey Brin, Andy Grove, Madeleine Albright, Gloria Estefan, or Henry Kissinger? Right now, that person might be sleeping in a refugee camp, trying to build a new life in freedom.
No one chooses to be a refugee. Refugees flee in part because they are driven by a belief that the future can be better than the present or the past. Let’s eagerly embrace that faith and optimism.
Elena Kvochko is a board member of Refugees International. The opinions here are her own and do to reflect the position of any organization.
