IKEA and the inclusion of refugees at work: an international assessment
In this collaboration between IKEA, the University of Sydney and Stockholm School of Economics, the ambition is to assess the ongoing program ‘Skills for Employment’ that targets the labour market integration of refugees across the world.
This collaborative project investigates in what way INGKA’s refugee program aimed at the social and economic integration of refugees into IKEA’s workforce can create value for the individual, the company, and the wider society. In this first phase of the research, the program ‘skills for Employment’ has been assessed across 14 countries in Europe, North American and Australia.
The findings highlight a set of key success factors that underpin effective refugee inclusion, alongside a range of challenges. Factors that consistently led to the programme’s success include, among others: - foundational elements such as strong multi-level leadership, a value-based inclusive culture, and robust partnerships.
Factors that continue to challenge implementation across markets include, among others: - increasing polarisation in public discourse, creating reputational risks and affecting increasing polarisation in public discourse; - difficulties in measuring ROI; - language barriers affecting early integration and performance.
Together, these insights illustrate the complexity of refugee employment in practice and clarify the conditions required for long-term sustainability. In addition, the report presents a selection of best practice cases from Ingka Group’s retail markets. These cases are designed to provide concrete examples that may inform the work of other organisations and partners seeking to advance refugee inclusion in diverse contexts.
Funding
This project is Co-funded by the University of Sydney, the Stockholm School of Economics and INGKA
Researchers:
Prof. Betina Szkudlarek, University of Sydney (project leader)
Dr. Yijia Du, University of Sydney
Dr. Eun Su Lee, University of Melbourne
Prof. Laurence Romani, Stockholm School of economics