More than 230 job positions were offered, following approximately 770 interviews, during the successful job fair organized by SolidarityNow and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Thessaloniki on March 13th. The event aimed to connect refugees and asylum seekers who were looking for a job with employers from various sectors operating in Northern Greece. 

The event, which took place at the Blue Refugee Centre*, is part of the strategic goal of both organizations to promote the employability of refugees, supporting the National Strategy for Integration for the benefit of both refugees and the Greek economy, and society. 

During the event, 279 refugees and asylum seekers who participated underwent interviews with 15 employers from various business sectors, such as tourism and the manufacturing industry, who aim to strengthen and expand their workforce. 

Receiving guidance and support at every step of the process, participants had the opportunity to draft their resumes on the spot and to learn about their working rights and obligations before proceeding to interviews with company representatives. Additionally, two parallel-group discussions provided inspiration and practical advice to refugees seeking to enter the job market. 

Shaaima, a mother of three children, who came from Iraq to Greece in 2018 and, despite the challenges she faced, is ready to open her restaurant in Thessaloniki with Arab and Greek flavors. During her speech at the discussion titled “Refugee Women in the Workplace,” Shaaima inspired and encouraged all women to have confidence in themselves and to believe that they can make their own decisions. “Every woman is a knight and a poet. If a woman looks into her soul, she will see this,” she said. 

Ola, a young woman from Sierra Leone who has been in Greece for about 1.5 years, shared her experience during the group discussion titled “Refugees and the Greek Labor Market: Discussion between Employers and Candidates.” 

“For me, hope means patience. You must take one step at a time. You must recognize the value of what you do, and believe in yourself,” she stressed to mobilize other refugees who may feel helpless and have lost their hope. The practical advice Ola gives to refugees living in Greece is to seek support and guidance from local organizations. “My first step was to go to the Blue Refugee Centre. They helped me there.” While Ola received a job offer at a hotel this summer, she continues to pursue her big dream of becoming a real estate agent. 

On their part, the employers who participated in the discussions expressed their gratitude to SolidarityNow and UNHCR for their initiatives aimed at promoting the employability of refugees. Although they all mentioned the administrative obstacles that undermine and often hinder the hiring process of refugees and asylum seekers, they praised the skills and professional ethics of refugee colleagues in Greece, which, as they explained, was the reason they participated in the event because they are interested in hiring even more. 

“The company bus that transports workers to the construction site never had to wait for more than five minutes. They never neglected safety measures. They always had a positive attitude,” said a representative of a company operating in the construction sector during his speech, praising the excellent work ethic of refugee colleagues. 

During the job fair, the UNHCR also presented the Adama Job-Matching Platform, a useful tool designed by UNHCR and Catholic Relief Services that connects refugees seeking employment in Greece with potential employers across the country. 

The event was honored by the presence and participation of the Deputy Mayor for Social Policy, Solidarity, and Welfare of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Mr. Efthymios Chatzitheoklitos, and the Deputy Mayor for Social Protection & Equality, Employment, Vocational Orientation and Volunteering & Health Promotion of the Municipality of Neapolis-Sykies, Ms. Irini Kagkavini. Both local officials praised the long and constructive cooperation with UNHCR and its partners in promoting the integration of refugees through the implementation of innovative programs. 

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Notes for editors: 

– 279 refugees and asylum seekers of 29 nationalities participated in the job fair 

– 212 men and 67 women participated 

– 15 employers looking for staff also participated in the event 

– 15 employers and employers of job seekers were also invited to participate 

– So far 234 jobs have been offered and 148 offers have been accepted 

– According to a survey conducted by SolidarityNow in 2022, 65% of refugee women respondents said they seek recognition of their professional experience, certificates and diplomas, while 63% expressed the need to study in Greece and work in a friendly and safe working environment. 

*SolidarityNow’s “Blue Refugee Centre” operates in Thessaloniki in cooperation with UNHCR and UNICEF in order to support refugees and asylum seekers by providing a range of services that facilitate their integration. You can read more information here. 

under construction

Link: https://shorturl.at/tORU2

The civil non-profit organization Odyssea and the non-profit organization SolidarityNow co-organized on 16 and 17 February at Technopolis of the City of Athens, Employment Days entitled +Ergasia, which concluded with great success.

The two-day free employment event provided a variety of professional opportunities to over 800 people who participated to empower them, but also to integrate and/or reintegrate into the Greek job market. +Ergasia aimed to provide a direct meeting point for companies and potential employees to promote diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities in employment.

Specifically, the Employment Days:

• 20 companies participated in total, from a variety of sectors such as tourism/hospitality, supply chain, construction, facilities management, courier, customer management services, energy, and information technology.
• 2000 interviews were conducted on-site.
• 350+ people received job offers.

During the event, 4 training workshops were implemented by experts in the field to further develop the horizontal skills and work readiness of the participants. The workshops implemented were as follows: 1) “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Workplace”, by SolidarityNow, 2) ” Creation of a LinkedIn profile”, by Sotiris Koutsouradis, 3) “Accessibility at the Workplace”, by Niki Daliana, and 4) “Career Change Guide”, by Haroula Roufa.

Qualitative data from employment days +Ergasia 

SolidarityNow and Odyssea jointly recognize the fundamental right of all people to employment, regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion or other beliefs, disability or chronic illness, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender characteristics.

In this context, participants were given the opportunity during the +Ergasia job days to learn the needs of the jobs, but also the skills required for an interview process. At the same time, candidates were able to network with leading employers and learn about job market developments and future job trends.

The participants shared their enthusiasm for the event and its importance in their lives. In particular, Zakreias, a beneficiary of Odyssea, said “I know about Odyssea through the classes I am currently attending. The Job Fair is a very important initiative as it allows us to meet so many companies face to face”. Remarkable is also what Theresa, a beneficiary of Odyssea, said, who commented “I believe that today will help me in the job search process”.  

In the same spirit, Alexander “I knew that if I came here, I would be helped, because I know the work of SolidarityNow’s Employment Service and I didn’t miss out. Next week I have an appointment at the offices of the information technology company I met here, and I am expecting the job offer”. “I learned a lot more about the interview process here, I did four in an hour, and I made it!” Aza from Cameroon, beneficiary of SolidarityNow, said proudly.

+Ergasia with the companies

The Four Seasons representative noted “Our company employs over 47 nationalities and inclusion is one of our key pillars. We have seen many candidates eager to work. For us, this is one of the key assets a person can have!” 

The representatives of Manifest also spoke about diversity and the non-existent discrimination: “Just a while ago we interviewed a candidate who had the right CV, and we immediately referred him to the manager at our headquarters, where he was offered a job. He will officially start work next week! For us, there is no prejudice of any kind and that is why we actively support initiatives like +Ergasia.”

Visit of the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Asylum, responsible for Integration, Vulnerable Citizens and Unaccompanied Minors, Ms Sofia Voultepsi

The Employment Days were honored with the visit of Ms. Sofia Voultepsi, where she spoke with representatives of companies about the needs of the job market, as well as the needs and opportunities for upgrading skills and retraining of job seekers. “Education and work are the epitome of inclusion. Success is always based on our close collaboration with Civil Society Organisations, which in turn rely on political will, that in my part is expressed most concretely. Congratulations, keep up the good work,” declared the Deputy Minister.

The companies that participated in +Ergasia:

Corinth Pipeworks

DOMES

Doryssa Hotels

Empiria Group

Eneres CPM

Four Seasons

Intelecta

Lidl

Manifest

Newrest Catering

PepsiCo

Regency Casino Mont Parnes

Skroutz

Skywalker

Teleperformance

Uni Systems

Valsamidis SA

Ηπειρώτικη Ζύμη

ΙΕΚ ΑΚΜΗ

SolidarityNow and the non-profit organization Odyssea co-organize a Job Fair for all on the 16^th and 17^th of February at the Technopolis City of Athens, under the title “+Ergasia”. The opening hours are from 10.00 to 18.00 on the first day and from 10.00 to 17.00 on the second day. The Job Fair’s objective is to promote equal opportunities for all in employment. The event is open to all and there is no entry charge.

“+Ergasia” will serve as a platform for talented individuals to demonstrate their skills and connect with over 15 companies in industries such as tourism, construction, facilities management, courier, and customer support services. The companies will offer more than 100 job opportunities of various skills and levels of expertise.

SolidarityNow and Odyssea, in response to the needs of their beneficiaries, as well as the need to cover job vacancies, offer to the job seekers the opportunity to meet with company representatives and be interviewed without an appointment. Participants will have an opportunity to hear first-hand about the needs of the positions and gain valuable job readiness knowledge from experienced professionals.

Alongside the interviews, there will be skills development workshops for the beneficiaries and Diversity and Inclusion workshops for the companies involved.

Admission to the event is free for everyone and the registration form is available at the link:  

For more information about the Job Fair “+Ergasia”, you can visit the website: https://www.solidaritynow.org/en/press-release-job-fair-ergasia/  

You are born in a country, you grow up, and you get an identity card, a tax number, a social security number, and legal documents. All this enables you to have access to any public service, to health and education structures, and to be able to claim if at any time you need an allowance, a service or support by the state, even to demand your right that is being violated.

The above are fundamental elements of a person’s life in Europe. Fundamental, and somewhat obvious. For this reason, we only understand their value when we lose them or when they are doubted, and this applies to everyone, whether we are indigenous or not.

For people who are displaced from their home countries and forced to start their lives all over again in a new country, the possession of legal documents is their primary concern as otherwise, it is impossible to continue moving forward towards their integration into the new society.

At SolidarityNow, acknowledging the importance of these issues, we place the Accounting Service at the core of our free provided services.

At the Athens Solidarity Centre and the Blue Refugee Center in Thessaloniki, the qualified staff of the Accounting Service provides:

• Tax-related advice
• Completing and submitting tax returns
• Submitting applications for social allowances
• Debt settlement
• Issuing unemployment cards
• Providing support for daily integration challenges (access social benefits, issuance of tax registration numbers, TAXISnet codes, issuance of Temporary Number of Insurance and Healthcare, social security number, unemployment card etc.)

This Tax Guide was compiled to provide essential information on the obligatory submission of tax declaration for all people living in Greece. The Guide is published in Greek and in six (6) more languages (English, French, Arabic, Ukrainian, Urdu, Farsi).

Greek

English

French

Arabic

Ukrainian

Urdu

Farsi

It is not only an income declaration

Submitting a tax declaration is a way of proving a person’s legal residence in Greece, while it also enables other actions such as the opening of a bank account, applying for allowances, transacting with a public service or accessing social services.

Some indicative results from the operation of the organization’s Accounting Service for 2023:

930+ people requested and received accounting assistance from the service in Athens and Thessaloniki

1423 appointments were held

723 tax returns were submitted and

351 applications were submitted for social benefits (allowances, unemployment cards, travel cards, etc.).

*Since August 1st, 2023, the operation of the Athens Solidarity Center is supported by the Swiss-Greek Cooperation Programme in Greece (Embassy of Switzerland in Greece) to reducing economic and social disparities in the EU and by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

**Since August 2023 till March 2024, the Athens Solidarity Center is financed by EEA Grants, with ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360 as the fund operator.

***Since July 2023 till June 2024, the Kahane Foundation supports the Employability Service of the Athens Solidarity Center.

The Athens Solidarity Center is also supported by  the Municipality of Athens.

The operation of the Blue Refugee Center is supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF Greece. 

We are thrilled to invite you to our Job Fair, +Ergasia!

Co-hosted by SolidarityNow & Odyssea

The Job Fair, entitled “+Ergasia”, is a joint initiative of SolidarityNow and Odyssea, aiming to facilitate access to the labor market for job seekers and employers/companies.

The two-day event will give talented people from different backgrounds the opportunity to network with companies looking for staff.

The “+Ergasia” event will take place on:

• Friday 16/2, 10.00 – 18.00 &
• Saturday 17/2, hours 10.00 – 17.00

at Machine Works – Technopolis City of Athens (Piraeus 100, 118 54)

If you are looking for a job or wish to enhance your professional skills, then Job Fair +Ergasia is the event for you!

If you are a candidate, you will have the opportunity to conduct on-site interviews with over 20 leading companies in different sectors, such as tourism, industrial, catering, etc. You will also have the opportunity to take part in exciting workshops where you will gain the skills needed to become highly recruited in the job market!

To participate, you need to register by filling in the “+Ergasia” participation form, here.

If you are a company representative and wish to participate in the Job Fair, you can call +30 210 8220883-(116)- Mob: 6984207957, send us an email at aoikonomopoulou@solidaritynow.org or fill in the relevant form here.

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SolidarityNow (SN) is a Greek non-profit, humanitarian organization, founded in 2013 to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of our society, without discrimination. After 10 years of continuous service, we work every day for a world of solidarity, hope, and tolerance, where people live with dignity and safety. Our initiatives for actions and programs are based on 4 strategic priorities: 1) Inclusive education for all, 2) Creating opportunities for access to the labour market, 3) Social protection, integration, inclusion, 4) Access to justice and protection of human rights.

Odyssea is a nonprofit organization that supports economically and socially vulnerable young people to have access to employment opportunities in society.

Our vision is to democratize access to innovation, knowledge and technological progress, to allow autonomy and enable efforts towards an inclusive, non-discriminatory and equal society.