US Companies Including Amazon Hire 20,000 Refugees Over 3 Years (Comprehensive)

Embracing Refugees Arriving from Ukraine and Afghanistan

(Photo by Bloomberg)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Major U.S. companies such as Amazon and Pfizer have pledged to hire 20,000 refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan over the next three years in line with the Biden administration's refugee inclusion policy.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Amazon, the largest e-commerce company in the U.S., has committed to hiring 5,000 refugees entering the U.S. over the next three years. This is the largest hiring scale among U.S. companies.

Hotel chains Marriott and Hilton also announced plans to employ 1,500 refugees each, while pharmaceutical company Pfizer will hire 500 refugees.

This hiring pledge was announced at the "Tent Partnership for Refugees" foundation event held in New York on the same day. According to WSJ, more than 100 U.S. companies including Amazon, Pfizer, Walmart, and Uber pledged to accept refugees and also provide job training and internships for refugees.

Mona Babari, who leads Pfizer’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, said, "We highly value the diversity, skills, life experiences, resilience, and fierce commitment to success that refugee workers bring."

It is estimated that the income these refugees will earn annually as a result of this pledge will reach $900 million (approximately 1.25 trillion KRW).

Janet Saura, Vice President of Labor at Amazon, said, "The promise we made today is not just about jobs but about providing meaningful opportunities for refugees to build new lives."

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of the foundation and yogurt company Chobani, said, "Each hiring pledge announced is a life and will impact both the current and future generations."

WSJ evaluated that this pledge reflects a growing recognition that employing refugees benefits corporate management. In fact, consumers value companies’ ethical decision-making, and there are studies showing that refugees are loyal workers.

However, the employment target of 20,000 is only a very small portion of the total number of refugees entering the U.S.

According to U.S. government statistics, since last year, 80,000 refugees from Afghanistan have entered the U.S., half of whom (41,000) are of working age and in need of jobs.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, about 150,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered the U.S., most of whom arrived on tourist visas and are not legally authorized to work.

According to a report by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) headquartered in the U.S., the average hourly wage of 1,800 Afghan refugees is only $16.50, and they are mainly concentrated in retail, manufacturing, and food service industries.

This plan demonstrates the Biden administration’s strong commitment to embracing refugees but also reveals an intention to alleviate the labor shortage that is hindering the normalization of the U.S. economy.

Since his candidacy, the Biden administration has promoted pro-immigration policies and in June announced plans to employ 20,000 refugees from Latin America as agricultural workers and to expand the issuance of work visas.