Refugee Talent Hub & 180 Demonstrate the Power of Professional Network Sharing

Employer initiative Refugee Talent Hub and creative agency 180 Amsterdam have joined forces through the creation of the new social awareness campaign 'Refugee LinkUp'. 

The two-week social campaign sees 25 prominent professionals share their online network with 25 job-seeking former refugees, known as status holders. 

The campaign is designed to draw attention to the approximately 80,000 status holders in the Netherlands who have received their residence permits so are allowed and want to work, but still cannot find a job, partly due to the lack of a relevant professional network. 

More than half of these status holders are still without a job almost five years after receiving a residence permit. These are talented, resilient workers who just happened to have been born elsewhere. But unfortunately, due to their lack of a relevant professional network in the Netherlands, they often go unseen by employers. 

This is not only an issue for the status holders themselves but also an untapped opportunity for the Netherlands as a whole, particularly given the current squeezed labour market.

Fortunately, there are prominent professionals in the Netherlands with a large business network who are more than happy to share it. It was from this idea that the ‘Refugee LinkUp’ campaign was born, that anyone can use their network to help people. 

Wilma Roozenboom, director of Refugee Talent Hub said: "We want to create awareness with this public campaign. To show that all of us, with our informal and professional network, can help others. And that it really doesn’t have to be that difficult to do so."

Some well-known names that are involved include Anke den Ouden, general manager at Microsoft, Nadine Beister, HR director at Achmea, Pauline Bieringa, managing director at Triodos Bank and Joost Looij, director ICT at Enexis. 

Anke den Ouden added: “I am really glad to be part of this campaign and to create awareness for such an important issue in the Netherlands. From my personal experience as well as from my work in Eastern Europe, I know very well how valuable it is for people to continue to play their part in society. We can all contribute by sharing our professional network with people who have lost theirs.”

Each one of the 25 prominent business professionals will share their LinkedIn profile with 25 status holders for a two-week period. This includes making their network available through their connections, title and profile picture. 

The 25 status holders featured in this campaign symbolise the approximately 80,000 newcomers without a relevant network in the Netherlands. 

Sander Volten, CEO 180 Global: "These people had a profession in their home countries and would like to continue using their skills and talents here. They want to contribute to society again. We therefore hope to create more openness and recognition within the labour market through this awareness campaign."

The ongoing and long-term collaboration between 180 Amsterdam and the Refugee Talent Hub aims to highlight the skills and talents of status holders as a valuable force in the labour market. 

The campaign, ‘Refugee LinkUp’, will be on LinkedIn and Digital Out of Home from 6th-20th March 2023. It was created by 180 Amsterdam and produced in collaboration with DDB.

For more information on this initiative, visit here.