As war reshapes migration and residency patterns across Europe, companies are finding that the DEI landscape is changing rapidly.-BY ANNA GONSALVES

Over the last decade, Europe has seen some exceptional immigration shifts. First, there was the incredible wave of immigration from the Middle East and North Africa that flowed in during 2015 and 2016. Next, after a sudden pause in general migration due to pandemic era travel restrictions, the US exited Afghanistan and a flood of asylum seekers from that region moved toward Europe. Most recently, the Ukrainian conflict has filled the rest of Europe with the largest group of refugees on the continent since World War II.

For companies looking to fill critical talent gaps in the face of Europe’s declining native talent pools, these immigration waves represent a unique opportunity. However, to make the most of this opportunity, firms can’t lean on outdated policies for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Instead, companies must shift their approach to be able to meet fresh arrivals where they are, in terms of language, culture, and skills, to develop fruitful and rewarding partnerships.

From Unskilled, Temporary Laborers To Highly Talented Long-Term Employees

Not long ago, some countries specifically excluded immigrant workers from diversity reporting, because these workers were held to be largely temporary parts of the labor pool. They’d come in for a short period and then return after a few years, with only a small minority settling down and forming local families. However, while many of the Ukrainians fleeing the war hope to return quickly, those exiting countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen largely intend to remain in Europe. This means local work councils and planning groups can no longer think of them as little more than “day labor” or seasonal workers.

From a diversity and inclusion perspective, this presents an opportunity to enroll more recent immigrants in longer-term training and development programs. These programs often include language and technology training components, two things that have historically prevented migrants from taking more advanced positions. By removing these barriers, firms can unlock the full suite of skills that immigrants bring with them, and create a larger pool of digitally proficient workers fluent in local languages. This can help fill long-standing talent shortages, especially in the parts of Europe that have been experiencing depopulation.

Achieving More Diversity In Management Tracks

As companies invest more in training and development, it becomes possible for more immigrants to take on management positions. This can create some interesting planning discussions for leadership teams who may be looking to add diversity higher up in their organizations, and is a shift from past practices which tended to keep immigrants overrepresented in construction, hospitality services, and caregiving professions while limiting their representation in education, technical fields, and government, per reports from the European Commission.

Further, as organizations open their managerial ranks to more diverse candidates, it becomes more likely that their entire employee base will become more diverse. In a study of some 400 Polish firms, researchers found that one of the biggest predictors of future hiring of immigrant workers (and particularly of non-Western immigrant workers) was having a non-Western immigrant on the managerial team. This held true regardless of the stated policies of the firms, and whether the organizations ranked themselves as being highly accepting of diverse applicants.

Incorporating More Flexible Arrangements

Along with more talent development investments and opening management tracks to immigrants, firms seeking to be more inclusive and diverse by hiring immigrants will need to incorporate more flexible work arrangements into their operational practices. This is particularly important for firms looking to hire expansively from within the recently arrived Ukrainian populations.

Unlike the Afghani or even Syrian migrants, who tended to be younger men and full families, many Ukrainians arriving are older or partial family groups. Women who have come as refugees may be very highly educated and skilled, but they are suddenly the single parents of small children or the sole caregivers for older relatives. As such, for them to enter the workforce – even under special directives like the recently activated EU Talent Pool Pilot – they either need certainty around childcare provided by the employer or a flexible working arrangement.

Now, it’s certainly the case that the EU’s native female population has also been asking for more support on childcare and flexibility in working hours and work arrangements. Many experienced “work from home” for the first time during the pandemic, and would like to continue such arrangements where possible. Still others would like more hybrid arrangements, which would also be well-suited to displaced persons unwilling or unable to enter into fixed schedule contracts.

Concluding Thoughts

This past decade has brought unprecedented numbers of immigrants into Europe, and from regions that had not historically been a source of migrants or refugees. As a result, companies wanting to make the most of these new sources of talent have needed to change their approach, particularly when it comes to DEI.

A first shift is accepting that many of these immigrant workers are not temporary additions to the labor pool – they’d like to stay! This means making a conscious effort to include them in training and development programs, helping to lower barriers and boost assimilation with language and technological courses, and making them a part of formal work council diversity discussions.

Another shift is the need to expand management tracks to include non-native and non-Western immigrants. By doing so, firms can improve the diversity mix of their entire organization. This is because having a managerial-level immigrant dramatically increases the likelihood of hiring more immigrants.

Finally, firms wanting to be inclusive of these new arrivals need to make more of an effort around flexible work arrangements. Making such arrangements permanent could help firms connect with more migrant women workers as well as help more native-born women remain with their firms during times of intense child or elder care responsibilities. While a big shift for many firms, adding this flexibility to management diversity and training investments could help European employers that they are at the forefront of the new landscape of equitable hiring, diversity, and inclusiveness in Europe.