Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) – a global network of companies committed to the labor integration of refugees, announces the launch of Tent México, a coalition of 46 large employers that have committed to hiring refugees and migrants on a large scale, as well as as well as providing support for employability in Mexico. Tent México is the first national Tent coalition to be launched in Latin America, joining existing coalitions in Canada, France, Spain and the United States.
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.
Today, Tent is launching a unique and unprecedented coalition with Mexico's largest employers to close this gap, helping Mexican companies fill high labor shortages by harnessing the talent of refugees and migrants who want to build a new life in Mexico. 46 founding companies have joined Tent México, committing to reduce the barriers faced by refugees and migrants, where Marriott International stands out for being a pioneer of the program and having a refugee associate among its workforce.
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 pool of displaced talent throughout Mexico.
A new study published today 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 the 7% of respondents in Mexico reported being less likely to buy from companies that hire refugees.
Tent México will offer a series of free services to companies that will support their efforts to connect refugees and migrants, from all countries, with work. Tent Mexico will also leverage the experience of Tent's global business network, which has more than 350 member companies, extracting and adapting best practices and lessons learned in a dozen countries to the Mexican labor market, ensuring that companies are prepared to implement efficiently and effectively their refugee recruitment programs.