Expanding Strategic Human Resource Management by Learning from Refugee Recruitment

Abstract

The recruitment of refugees is an increasing challenge around the world and one that is unlikely to be ameliorated by any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding employment is one of the most critical steps for refugees towards integration into their new society. Yet, many organizations do not consider or see the benefits to refugee recruitment. Our empirical evidence is collected from semi-structured interviews with multiple stakeholders partaking in refugee recruitment including, employers, governmental organizations, refugee support-service providers and refugees in Australia, a country with a long history of receiving humanitarian migrants. We demonstrate how employers leverage a collaborative model of recruitment while attempting to hire refugees. Our analysis uncovers a stakeholder-responsive and multi-level view of strategic human resource management where recruitment is seen as an embedded process involving the expertise, know-how and interests of numerous actors, many external to the employing organizations. To attend to both the organizational and societal goals, we suggest a potential role for strategic human resource management in addressing the grand challenges linked to employment in areas beyond refugee workforce integration.