Recruitment and Ethical Management of Foreign Workers

Foreign workers are one of the key resources available to fill the gap between the demand for, and actual supply of, labourers who have the necessary skill-set required by the destination countries. By developing ways to overcome cultural, linguistic and bureaucratic obstacles, this Laboratory aims to meet today's socio-economic challenges and contribute to the economic wellbeing of the destination countries.

Leader Facilitator
Obiettivo Lavoro Impronta Etica

Project Description

Today, labour markets in the so-called ‘old' European countries are facing a significant shortage of some professional skills; as a consequence, the recruitment of foreign professionals becomes necessary in order to manage the problems associated with this decline. Nevertheless, professional mobility is hampered by cultural, linguistic and bureaucratic obstacles that make it difficult to meet the demand of labour within a market with strong international connotations.

In particular, the market in the destination countries is characterized by a strong unmet demand for professions that do not require high educational levels.

On the one hand, the risk involved is the loss of traditional professions and crafts (e.g. carpenter). In addition, structural failures exist in terms of meeting basic needs such as nursing, personal and home care, and housing - which are signalled by a lack of nurses and specialized workers.

Thus, foreign workforce represents a strategic factor in terms of contribution to the economic development of European countries; yet, several critical challenges can be identified: legality of entry and permanence of workers into destination countries, suitability of foreign workforce to fill vacant positions in Europe, actual ability of foreign workforce to fully integrate into host countries, cultural and linguistic barriers. 

In this context, Obiettivo Lavoro has developed a model of recruitment and management of foreign workers that ensures the respect and full integration of migrant labourers while involving ethical, social and economic benefits for the society.

Objectives

Economic:

  • Contribution to the national economic development by recruiting skilled and motivated professional figures that are largely unavailable on the Italian labour market
  • Help to the preservation of traditional jobs and crafts close to extinction (e.g. carpenter) and of activities that play an important role from a social perspective (e.g. home and personal care, nursing)

Social:

  • Fight against irregular jobs within high-risk sectors (e.g. construction)
  • Valorisation of individual workers
  • Contribution to the realization of a balanced cultural and social integration
  • Alleviation of problems linked to the management of bureaucratic issues
  • Contribution to the efficiency of some essential services with high social impacts

Ethical:

  • Warranty of transparency (thanks to the process traceability) and respect of legality during the management of entry flows of workers from abroad
  • Transfer of ethical values to other companies involved in the recruitment process.

Deliverable

The main outcome of the Laboratory will be represented by Guidelines for Employers of Foreign Workers and relevant Stakeholders aimed at addressing the issue of workers' immigration according to a multi-stakeholder approach and including:

  1. mapping of the opportunities deriving from foreign workforce' immigration, analyzed from the point of view of the different stakeholders participating in the Laboratory;
  2. description of a possible "step-by-step" process for facilitating the integration of migrant workers into host countries. Such process will be defined and shared by companies and stakeholders so as to represent an ethical, efficient, and effective model;
  3. analysis of the value that such process may create for every group of stakeholders.

Lab Leader

Obiettivo Lavoro

Facilitators

Impronta Etica

Company Participants

CMB Carpi, Manutencoop, ZML Industries, WAM Group, Banca Monte Paschi di Siena.

Stakeholder Participants

Trade Unions, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Work, University, Local Administration Bodies (Regional Level), Public job agencies, NGOs dealing with immigration issues, International Organization for Migration.

Contact Information:

Miss Manuela Zuntini
Impronta Etica
Via Marco Emilio Lepido
182/3 - 40132 Bologna - Italy
E-mail: info@improntaetica.org
Tel: +39 051.31.60.311
Fax: +39 051.31.60.399

Milestones - 2008

  • 07 March: 3nd Step of the model developed by Obiettivo Lavoro: the process of integration of foreign workers into the workplace ()
  • Date tbc June: 4th Step - Definition of deliverables, Scaling up and Transferability: How to transfer the practice developed by Obiettivo Lavoro
  • 19 June: CSR Europe General Assembly - Lab Exchange Session, to demonstrate the progress of the Lab deliverables
  • November: CSR Europe ‘Alliance Assmebly' - the Presentation and Dissemination of the finalised Lab deliverables

Milestones - 2007

  • 18 September: Settling the Context: The importance of recruiting from abroad professional figures unavailable within ‘old' European countries
  • 20 November: 1st Step, Activities in Country of Origin: The recruitment process developed by Obiettivo Lavoro: selection modalities in the country of origin in collaboration with client companies; Training; Relations with institutional partners*

*This meeting will be held in one of the country where the selection phase of workers takes place (presumably one of the Eastern European Countries).