Refugee Integration in the Swiss and Italian Labour Markets: Challenges, Governance and Future Perspectives

At the beginning of 2019, Europe hosts more than 6 million refugees. There is a wide consensus that their integration into the labour market will determine the long-term impact of the recent inflow of migrants on the European economy, as well as the chances of social integration. Despite the differences in social contexts, labour market structures and support measures, the challenges involved in the labour market integration of refugees are relatively similar across countries. There is, then, space for mutual learning and cooperation. Many initiatives have already been taken and resources mobilized in most countries, at times without the necessary planning or knowledge to ensure their success. Sharing, analyzing, assessing and comparing policies and experiences can therefore be useful to increase knowledge of the factors impacting successful integration of refugees into the labor markets of different European countries. The article, after providing an overview of the contexts and challenges, will describe the main characteristics of labour integration measures for refugees in Switzerland and Italy. Method 1) we compare official data about number of refugees, countries of origin, age, education levels and qualifications in the two countries. 2) we analyze the challenges faced by the two countries, considering that Italy is a first-landing country and therefore has a very different set of challenges to address before labour market integration. 3) we describe the policies so far implemented by the two countries for the labour market integration of refugees, the types of structures and tasks. 4) we compare the two different contexts, the governance structures, the resources mobilized, the policies and the results so far obtained. 5) we highlight similarities and differences in the two approaches and in the results they obtained. Outcomes - Comparative context and policy analysis produces a thorough assessment of the factors impacting on the success/failure of policies for the integration of refugees in the Swiss and Italian labor markets and a set of policy recommendations useful for mutual learning and cooperation