MILWAUKEE, June 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, is committed to empowering refugees across the globe by helping them develop their skills and connecting them with employment as today marks World Refugee Day, a global event launched to recognize the plight faced by approximately 42.5 million refugees, internally displaced and stateless people.

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"Men, women and children who are forced to flee their homes are among the most vulnerable people in the world. Once they find safety, refugees face another challenge — starting a new life," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. "Work is a critical component of the successful integration of refugees into their new surroundings, and ManpowerGroup provides people from all walks of life with the skills and connections to employment opportunities that help them earn sustainable livelihoods."

ManpowerGroup is involved in programs around the world to foster self-reliance among refugees and help them find meaningful work. For example, with help from ManpowerGroup and its company Manpower Telge Jobbstart (MTJ), more than 700 Iraqi refugees have found work in Sweden. The effort initially began in the town of Sodertalje, where participants spent 18 months studying Swedish culture and received assistance to find work. More than 60 percent eventually moved from welfare to work.

The program is now expanding to other towns and will integrate ManpowerGroup training aimed at helping the long-term unemployed. In addition, MTJ serves as an "introduction guide" to refugees in Stockholm, placing more than 58 percent of those served in jobs. MTJ helps build a network of contacts for new immigrants, bridging language and cultural differences between job seekers and potential employers.

In the Netherlands, a program will begin in September that will match refugees between the ages of 15 and 18 with study and future career opportunities in the country. The partnership with the Dutch Refugee Council (VluchtelingenWerk) will include workshops, internships, and company and school visits.

Since 2007, ManpowerGroup Argentina's "Without Borders" program has provided training and guidance to hundreds of refugees from Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Colombia. In tandem with local United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) partners, Migrants and Refugees in Argentina and the Argentinian Catholic Commission for Migrants, the program hosts workshops on job training and the local labor market. It also offers seminars to improve refugees' employability skills, resumes and interviewing techniques.

More than 550 refugees have participated in the workshops, and, to date, 85 have found work in positions ranging from hospitality and IT, to sales and call center representatives.

Abdul Mutalib has successfully rebuilt his life in Darwin, Australia, after a harrowing experience as a former refugee from Myanmar. For more than a decade, he suffered beatings and imprisonment as he fled to Malaysia, Indonesia and, eventually, Australia. Shortly after arriving in 2011, he began working with the local Manpower branch which found him a part-time position with a dairy manufacturing company. The position became permanent and Abdul now looks forward to building a home, buying a car, and having his wife join him in Australia.

First marked in 2001, World Refugee Day is held annually by the UNHCR to recognize the plight of refugees. Tens of thousands of people take time to acknowledge the contributions of forcibly displaced people in more than 100 countries throughout the world.  

About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN) is the world leader in innovative workforce solutions that ensure the talent sustainability of the world's workforce for the good of companies, communities, countries, and individuals themselves. Specializing in solutions that help organizations achieve business agility and workforce flexibility, ManpowerGroup leverages its 65 years of world of work expertise to create the work models, design the people practices and access the talent sources its clients need for the future. From staffing, recruitment, workforce consulting, outsourcing and career management to assessment, training and development, ManpowerGroup delivers the talent to drive the innovation and productivity of organizations in a world where talentism is the dominant economic system. Every day, ManpowerGroup connects more than 630,000 people to work and builds their experience and employability through its relationships with 400,000 clients across 80 countries and territories. ManpowerGroup's suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the third consecutive year in 2013, confirming our position as the most trusted brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup makes powering the world of work humanly possible at www.manpowergroup.com. Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: Twitter.com/manpowergroupjj

SOURCE ManpowerGroup