Integration in the labour market of legally residing third-country nationals
The inclusion of migrants in the labour market is key to ensure their effective integration into the host societies and their positive impact on the EU economy; this entails fully using their skills and realising their economic potential. They can contribute to addressing skills shortages in certain sectors at all skills levels.
Ensuring that migrants learn the language, get their educational and professional skills validated/recognised and receive adequate training is essential for their overall integration and positive economic impact in the receiving societies.
Skills validation and recognition of qualifications are thus key issues: among highly educated third-country nationals in employment, more than 40% work below their qualification levels (i.e. in medium or even low skills occupations). Member States and the European Union as a whole – as well as economic stakeholders - have both an interest and responsibility to put all skills to good use.
Related links
- Skills profiling tool to map the skills, qualifications and work experiences of the third country nationals and to give them personalised advice on further steps
- Repository of promising practices of labour market integration and social inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees across EU Member States
- Alliance for apprenticeship
Employers Together for integration
On 23 May 2017, the European Commission launched the initiative Employers together for integration to give visibility at European level to what employers are doing to support the integration of refugees and other migrants into the labour market. The successful integration of migrants in the EU labour market represents an opportunity for our societies. When effectively integrated they can help improve the functioning and performance of the labour market, as well as support fiscal sustainability. For more information, please consult the page "Employers Together for Integration".
European Partnership for integration
Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, Marianne Thyssen and the European social and economic partners signed on 20 December 2017 the European Partnership for Integration.
This partnership includes commitments by the Commission and social and economic partners to foster the integration of refugees in the labour market.
EU Funding for labour market integration
The Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund finances several transnational projects to promote labour market integration. Funding for labour market integration is available also under the European Social Fund and the Employment and Social Innovation programme.