Organizational predictors for refugee employment: the impact of a diverse workforce and previous refugee hiring

Abstract In Europe, rates of refugees in dependent employment remain significantly lower than those of natives and other migrant groups. Whilst previous research has focused on individual refugee characteristics, organizational factors that influence employers' decisions to hire refugees remain understudied. This study examines how diversity in the workplace in terms of origins and prior experience of hiring refugees affect the likelihood of hiring newly-arrived refugee cohorts. We argue that organizations with diverse workforces and prior experience hiring refugees will experience greater familiarity, similarity, and trust due to intergroup contact and social referrals. Using longitudinal linked employer-employee data from Dutch firms, our analyses confirm that both factors significantly increase the incidence of refugee hiring.