Introduction
The Jobs Compact is a job creation programme with the aim to combat irregular migration from Ethiopia and to provide durable solutions within Ethiopia for protracted refugee situations. The aim is to create 70,000 jobs for Ethiopian citizens, which would provide an alternative for irregular migration, and 30,000 jobs for refugees in order to make the refugee operation more sustainable and increase their self-reliance. It is also one of nine pledges the government of Ethiopia have made to improve the local integration of refugees ( most of them originated from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea) and enhance their self-reliance, with access to jobs and education.
Purpose of the Study
In response to a request from the Ethiopian authorities to support the Jobs Compact, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to explore options for a ‘Dutch Chapter’ to the Compact. Based on that, Resilience B.V., on behalf of The Netherlands embassy in Ethiopia, conducted a preparatory study for the ‘Dutch Chapter’ for the Jobs Compact of Ethiopia. The study explored opportunities for making refugee jobs durable, by looking into options for technical training, settlement of the employed refugees in the job areas and ensuring social cohesion within the work force and wider local communities. Moreover, the study looked into options for addressing challenges of international companies in Ethiopia arising from high staff turnover, general lack of basic skills, tensions with employees from outside the local community and the overall investment climate, and recommended integrated solutions and guiding principles to address the challenges of the refugees, their potential future employers, and the local communities alike.
