written by Georgia Spyropoulou | Advocacy and Communication Officer
Enhancing Employment: How SolidarityNow Linked Over 150 Refugees to Seasonal Jobs in Processing Units in Northern Greece
In a constantly changing job market, connecting workers with the right employers is an ongoing need. SolidarityNow addresses this challenge through specific actions by providing a range of employability support services. Focusing on protecting workers’ rights, the organization ensures that the job search process is completed effectively and meaningfully in a safe working environment.
At SolidarityNow, our services are designed and operated to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge required to secure legal and dignified employment, while also developing networking initiatives aimed at linking companies and businesses with job seekers who possess the appropriate job qualifications. This dual focus creates a channel that benefits both parties.
The structures and support systems we provide at the Athens Solidarity Center by SolidarityNow and the Refugee Support Center in Thessaloniki operate so that our beneficiaries can integrate, become empowered, and achieve autonomy. Over the years, we have built bonds of trust with the beneficiaries who use our services. In employment, this is particularly important because they know that our support framework operates with their labor integration, legality, and overall safeguarding of their employment right. For this reason, our services have a multiplier effect, resulting in a growing number of people using our services. In recent years, in response to labor market needs, not only job seekers but also companies and businesses have been approaching our services to meet their human resource needs.
The impact of SolidarityNow’s employability services is evident in the numerous success stories achieved over the years. Individuals from diverse educational backgrounds have found employment, while companies have benefited from finding both larger and smaller numbers of employees. A recent example is the collaboration that began in 2022 and continues to this day with companies in the fruit processing and trading sector based in Northern Greece. There, the need for personnel created a partnership through which more than 120 individuals found employment in 2022, and 50 individuals in 2024. More specifically, fruit processing companies reached out to SolidarityNow to fill positions in the production sector. As a result, asylum seekers residing in the accommodation facilities of Nea Kavala, Diavata, Langadikia, and within the urban area of the city found employment. For those residing in the accommodation facilities, where a lack of transportation hinders job search efforts, the provision of organized transportation by these companies made their employment feasible. It is equally important that through this connection and collective hiring process, individuals with vulnerabilities also find work.
By connecting asylum seekers residing in Northern Greece’s accommodation facilities with local businesses, SolidarityNow is making significant strides in promoting economic independence and social cohesion. As more refugees and asylum seekers gain employment and contribute to the local economy, the positive impact of this process will continue to benefit those who find jobs, the local community, and the economy.
*Since August 1st, 2023, the operation of the Athens Solidarity Center by SolidarityNow is supported by the Swiss-Greek Cooperation Programme/Embassy of Switzerland in Greece to reducing economic and social disparities in the EU and by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.Since August 2022, the Athens Solidarity Center is financed by EEA Grants with ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360 as the fund operator. The Center is also supported by the Municipality of Athens.
** The Blue Refugee Center is supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.