MPI Webinar
9:00 A.M. ET (New York, DC) / 3:00 P.M. CEST (Brussels, Berlin)
MPI Webinar
Abigail Goldfarb, Research Assistant, MPI Europe
María Jesús Mora, Associate Policy Analyst, MPI
Gilberto Pinela, Director, Office of New Americans, City of St. Louis, Missouri
Samer Saliba, Director of City Practice, Mayors Migration Council
Kate Hooper, Senior Policy Analyst, MPI
As cities navigate demographic change and fast-evolving labor markets, investment in effective economic inclusion strategies can help determine whether local economies stall or grow. International migrants and refugees make up a growing share of urban workforces, yet can face persistent barriers to employment and entrepreneurship. More work is needed to address these challenges and ensure that cities do not leave a key avenue to growth and revenue on the table.
Investing in economic inclusion can also help cities address emerging shortages in fast-growing sectors, including those tied to the green and digital transitions. But working towards this win-win is not always straightforward. The impacts of AI on future workforces are raising difficult questions about where to invest most strategically in upskilling and job-matching services to benefit long-term residents and new arrivals alike. Cities do not hold all the policy levers on migration and labor policy, requiring close coordination with national counterparts who may have different priorities. And around the world, municipal governments are navigating fiscal constraints and competing policy priorities that can make it harder to develop a coordinated response on economic inclusion. Together, these challenges require city leaders to make strategic choices about how to build future-ready workforces.
Showcasing findings from a new research report from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and the Mayors Migration Council (MMC) on urban economic inclusion for migrants and refugees that draws from review of practices around the world, this discussion will explore how cities can invest strategically in inclusion as part of their efforts to boost economic growth and productivity. It will highlight practical strategies for labor market integration amid demographic change, technological transformation, and shifting workforce needs, with the ultimate objective of supporting more resilient and prosperous urban economies for all residents.