ATHENS – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has assisted 447 asylum seekers hosted in open accommodation facilities in mainland Greece to find a job on the Greek labor market, since 2022, it said on Thursday.

A new report highlights IOM’s contribution to empowering and improving employment prospects for migrants hosted in the Greek Reception System, as part of the project ‘Harmonizing Protection Practices in Greece (HARP)’ funded by the European Union (EU).

Since the beginning of 2022, 2,393 asylum seekers have received orientation services on how to access the Greek labor market. A total of 789 persons have been supported to submit a job application, with 447 securing employment. A total of 547 people (53% men and 47% women) completed a short-term Greek language course. Over half (52%) were young people aged 18 to 29.

IOM staff specialized in skills development focused on raising awareness about labor rights and addressing migrants’ misconceptions and myths about the job market in Greece.

Orientation support included job preparedness seminars, CV-writing workshops, labor market inclusion and activities to create links with local communities. To address language barriers, IOM and partners organized 446 Greek and English language courses and ICT classes across mainland sites.

“Through the development of culturally relevant, adult-specific learning tools and labor market orientation, IOM and its partners established a relationship of trust with the communities,” HARP Project Manager Simona Moscarelli said. “The provision of education and integration services at an early stage helped asylum seekers feel motivated again and made them aware of their rights and responsibilities in Greece.”

She added that the educational material developed is publicly available for all migrants and actors active in the fields of adult education and integration (https://greece.iom.int/skill).