As of 2019, the UN Refugee Agency reported that there are about 26 million refugees in the world, amounting to 1% of the world’s population. 68% come from just five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. Refugees exist in a state of flux, with their futures and fates in the hands of potential host countries. The internet is full of reasons not to accept refugees into a country, but here are five benefits to taking in refugees.
#1. Refugees are productive.
There is a stereotype that refugees come into their host country and subsist on benefits instead of working. Though not every country allows refugees to work, those that do see just how productive refugees are. Often unable to use their credentials in other countries, refugees are known for starting from the ground up--and they are effective at it. Economic advisor Phillipe Legrain estimates that 1,000 refugee entrepreneurs could generate $100,000,000 each year. If host countries loosen restrictions and allow refugees to expand their job opportunities, it could significantly improve their economies.
This would also mean making language learning classes and integration courses more accessible, but in the long run, the fiscal rewards outweigh the cost. Countries that allow refugees to work and open up businesses know that the influx of productivity is one of the major benefits to taking in refugees.
#2. Refugees enrich culture.
Some fear that accepting refugees means that the native culture will disappear. According to Anna Crosslin of the International Institute in St. Louis, this isn’t anything to fear. “At every point in history, people have been concerned that America was changing and that they wouldn’t recognize it,” she says. “It hasn’t.” Crosslin, whose organization serves over 5,000 refugees a year, says that even though there are differences between each culture, most cultures are incredibly similar at their core. She points out that refugees are fleeing the same things we fear: families being torn apart, the right to vote being taken away, lack of education.
Refugees do not aim to disrupt the culture of their host countries, but enrich it. They may bring with them different practices, foods, religions--but in the end, most people have very similar ideals.
#3. Refugees stimulate the economy.
The more people participating in a country’s economy the better. Economic activity alone is one of the many benefits to taking in refugees.
There is an initial investment required when allowing refugees into a country. Housing, language classes, healthcare, sustenance--all of these things cost a significant amount of money to provide. But, once refugees are established in their host country, the initial investment pays off.
Refugees start businesses that employ locals, pay taxes, and generate wealth. In countries with an aging workforce, young refugees entering the workforce complement their work, and allow them to retire, while also contributing to social security or pension funds. Being able to work and make money in general allows refugees to stimulate the economy of their host country. Refugees allowed to work and enterprise are great for an economy, much more so than refugees that are not allowed in, or not allowed to work.
#4. Refugees complement the job market.
It’s often said that refugees take jobs away from their host country’s job market. But most studies conclude that refugees have very little effect on job market’s at all. The U.S. State Department’s analysis of the labor market over a thirty year period showed that not only did refugees not negatively impact the job market, but they didn’t have any effect when compared to regions that did not have a refugee population.
The work migrants do actually fills in the job market; in America, it is migrants doing much of the hard, physically demanding work like farming and cleaning meat and fish for consumption. The economic benefits to taking in refugees is also seen in areas with low domestic migration; in these places, migrants offer an economic boost that native citizens do not.
#5. Refugees bring novel skill sets and knowledge to host countries
Many cultures make rugs, but who makes them like the Persians? Who can delicately take the meat from a poisonous pufferfish like a Japanese sushi chef? Every country and culture has something that makes them stand out, something that they can teach and share with others.
Refugees offer language skills that natives might not. Many already have professional qualifications from their home countries. Most all refugees exhibit a high degree of adaptability, a skill that is important in every industry. To top it off, organizations benefit greatly from diversity, experiencing greater profits, collaboration, and retention than organizations that are not diverse. Though refugees are not the only way an organization can become more diverse, the experiences, skills and perspectives gained are some of the greatest benefits to taking in refugees.
Resistance to accepting refugees is common in many first world countries. Native citizens fear disruption in their economy and culture. But in actuality, refugees stimulate the economy, enrich culture, and supplement the job market. There are many more than five benefits to taking in refugees, but to see them, we must take a chance on the disadvantaged.
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