Mexico City, Mexico — A group of over 40 large Mexican companies have joined efforts to employ the country’s refugees and migrants. Highly relevant companies such as Chedraui, FEMSA, HSBC, Marriott International and Walmart join together to promote the labor integration of refugees and migrants in Mexico
Tent Partnership for Refugees has announced the launch of Tent México, a coalition of 46 large employers who committed to hiring refugees and large-scale migrants in the country.
According to Tent, in recent years Mexico has welcomed more than 600,000 displaced people from countries such as Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba, however, many of them have not been able to find formal employment.
At the same time, 75% of Mexican business owners claim to have difficulties finding workers. COPARMEX, the Mexican Employers’ Association, has reported between 1.2 and 1.6 million vacancies in the Mexican labor market.
Tent México is the first national coalition to be launched in Latin America, joining the existing coalitions in Canada, France, Spain and the United States. This alliance with the largest employers in Mexico seeks to close the gap, helping Mexican companies cover the high labor shortage by taking advantage of the talent of refugees and migrants who want to build a new life in Mexico.
The 46 companies that will participate in Tent México include Accenture, Accor Hotels, Adecco Group, Alsea, Amazon, ARCA Continental, AT&T, Baxter, Chedraui, Chobani, Comex, Coppel, DHL Group, FEMSA, Forvia, Foundever, Globant, H&M, HEB, Hilton, HP Inc, HSBC, Hyatt, Ingenico, ISS, Kellanova, L’Oreal, LEAR, Manpower Group, Marriott International, Menzies Aviation, Microsoft, Orbia, Carvajal Organization, PepsiCo Foods, Pfizer, Rappi, Sanofi, SAP, Sutherland, Teleperformance, Uber, Vertical Knits, Walmart and WeWork.
Gideon Maltz, CEO of Tent, explained that they approach the refugee hiring process from a business perspective and as the Mexican economy continues to grow, companies have an incredible opportunity to meet their labor needs by incorporating refugees and migrants.
“By doing so, companies will experience substantial benefits, have more loyal and committed employees, and at the same time, contribute to the autonomy and integration of refugees and migrants in their new community,” he said.
Under a recently announced global partnership agreement with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Tent México will work closely with the IOM to help member companies access a greater number of displaced talent throughout Mexico.
“IOM is excited to partner with Tent to open more pathways for migrants and refugees to integrate into the Mexican workforce. “This is another great step to help ensure that refugees and migrants can obtain employment through access to formal work permits,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General.
A new study published in February 2024 by Tent reveals that consumers in Mexico of all age groups show strong support for companies that hire refugees with 74% of respondents more likely to buy from companies with these initiatives.
Notably, this percentage is higher than any of the other eight markets where Tent has conducted similar research, including the United States, Spain and Germany, underscoring Mexican consumers’ strong support for companies that help refugees.
Only 7% of respondents in Mexico reported being less likely to buy from companies that hire refugees.
Gerardo Ancira, Tent’s Director for Mexico, stressed that the 46 companies launching Tent México are blazing a trail and demonstrating that the future of business in Mexico is increasingly diverse and inclusive, one in which refugees and migrants are not They must stay outside.
“We look forward to working with these companies to hire refugees and migrants on a large scale across the country, and we encourage more companies to recognize that they can achieve the largest and most sustainable impact by integrating refugees and migrants into their workforce,” he added.
“Tent México will offer a variety of free services to companies that want to support the large-scale hiring of refugees and migrants from different countries and will also leverage the experience of Tent’s global business network, which has more than 350 member companies, drawing and adapting best practices and lessons learned in a dozen countries to the Mexican labor market, ensuring that companies are prepared to efficiently and effectively implement their refugee hiring programs,” Ancira said.
José Antonio Fernández Carbajal, President of the Board of Directors and General Director of FEMSA, said they are excited to witness the launch of Tent México and feel honored to be part of this vital movement to connect refugees and migrants with a job opportunity.
“At FEMSA we have hired thousands of refugees and migrants over the years and we have seen firsthand the tremendous impact they have had on our company, our collaborators, our culture and our community. We look forward to building on this success and deepening our work with Tent to welcome more refugees and migrants to the FEMSA family,” he said.
