TRAFIG practice note no. 11

The missing link

Promoting refugees’ skills-based mobility within Europe

The Common European Asylum System prohibits the mobility of persons entitled to international protection within the European Union, making it more difficult for displaced persons to rebuild their lives even after arriving in Europe and receiving protection status. Recent developments soften this strict policy of immobility for some. In this context, intra-EU mobility based on refugees’ skills could become a game-changer. The tools are there. What is needed now is to connect these initiatives so that more displaced persons can use their skills for their benefit and that of receiving countries.

We mapped and interviewed some innovative initiatives across Europe, which work towards a faster and easier recognition of refugees' skills and qualifications, which aim to make displaced talent visible and accessible, and which are creating networks for refugees and employers alike. We wanted to learn from their experiences and assess whether their practices could be replicated in other countries, thereby promoting cross-border cooperation within the European Union. The aim was to understand how to connect the dots—or, in other words, how to fill the gap between the available skills and talent of displaced people, typically misused or underused, with the needs and opportunities of EU labour markets.

Read on and download TRAFIG practice note no.11 here.

Authors: Martin Wagner, Maria Tereza Matos & Caitlin Katsiaficas (ICMPD)

Please cite as: Wagner, M. et al. (2022). The missing link - Promoting refugees’ skills-based mobility within Europe (TRAFIG practice note 11): BICC. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6798685