Displaced Talent for Europe (DT4E)

Responding to labour market shortages with displaced skilled professionals' mobility

Across Europe, employers are struggling to find the skills they need in the local labour market. As labour market shortages continue to pose a challenge to businesses across various industries, many are turning to alternative solutions to find skilled workers. An increasing number of countries are opening economic migration pathways as one of the many solutions to address labour market shortages.

One way of doing this is through Displaced Skilled Professionals' Mobility. Globally, there are 103 million forcibly displaced people in the world (UNHCR) who are skilled professionals living in places where they do not have full working rights. The term “displaced persons” refers to individuals who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, situations of generalised violence, and/or violations of their human rights. Many of these individuals have skills and qualifications that are valuable to employers, but face barriers to employment due to their displaced status. The good news is that with the right support and resources, they can be recruited and successfully integrated into employment, providing employers with solutions to labour market shortages, providing a win-win solution for both employers and the skilled professionals.

Historically, skilled labour migration pathways have been difficult to access for displaced persons and persons in need of international protection. However, this is now changing. Countries are exploring the possibility to open legal labour pathways to welcome skilled people in need of international protection. In this respect, Ireland has an opportunity to pioneer a new labour mobility initiative by developing a complementary pathway for people in need of international protection.

Within this context, Displaced Talent for Europe (DT4E), is running a three-year project funded by the European Union (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)) to connect people in need of international protection in Jordan and Lebanon with employers in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Belgium. In doing so, DT4E provides employers with access to an untapped international pool of more than 65,000 skilled professionals.

This skilled mobility pathway is applicable to employers experiencing labour shortages in the professions recognised in Ireland's Critical Skills Occupation List. These occupations have been identified by the Irish Government as areas of skills shortages for which Critical Skills Employment Permits are available to allow for the recruitment of highly skilled professional from outside the EU.

Displaced Talent for Europe (DT4E) is facilitating the identification of displaced skilled professionals in Jordan and Lebanon and enabling their recruitment by employers in Ireland who cannot find the necessary talents for their vacant positions.

To make displaced skilled professionals’ mobility a viable solution, governments, employers, and civil society organisations must work together to provide the necessary support and resources. In the framework of DT4E, IOM Ireland is working with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) and Fragomen.

At IOM we believe that finding new ways to address skills shortages is an economic necessity. The global refugee population, which has both the necessary skills and experience, can be part of the solution. Removing obstacles to access the labour market is beneficial for everyone involved: refugees, businesses, host communities and the economy. Displaced skilled professionals’ mobility is not hypothetical, it is happening. In countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia displaced talent mobility has proven to be a real solution!