Deutsche Post DHL Group is one of the world’s leading companies for hiring and integrating refugees

Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group) ranks second among the 50 best-performing global companies for hiring refugees, with nearly 20,000 taken on since 2015, according to a new global report. The logistics group is also among the top ten when it comes to refugee integration, ranked number eight.

This is according to a report published in February 2023 by Refugee Integration Insights (RII), a dedicated provider of private sector refugee data. A total of 19,650 refugees have entered into either employment or a traineeship at DPDHL Group since the autumn of 2015.

"We are proud to have been able to provide prospects for so many refugees and facilitate their entry into the labor market,” says Thomas Ogilvie, Board Member for Human Resources and Labor Director at Deutsche Post DHL Group.  “Integration is a responsibility we live out as a global company, and a means of realizing our goal of connecting people and improving their lives.”  

On the subject of labor migration, Ogilvie adds: "People looking for a new home in our country enrich the workforce. They are important for our country’s future and the functioning of our economy, not to mention demographics. That's why, at the 'Alliance of Opportunities’, for example, we are working with other companies to remove any remaining obstacles blocking fast access to the German labor market for immigrants." 

At Post & Parcel Germany, 435 Ukrainians have been hired since the outbreak of the war. Around 300 refugees have started a traineeship with the Bonn-based logistics company, the majority of whom as courier, express and postal services specialists (234), professional drivers (38) and mechatronics engineers (17). The aim of DPDHL Group's commitment to helping refugees is to integrate them into the German labor market, to reduce existing barriers to placement and enable them to lead self-determined lives through employment subject to compulsory insurance. 

Thanks to a variety of measures, including application training, mentoring programs, internships, and language courses, DPDHL Group not only prepares refugees for the world of work but also offers them employment prospects – within or outside the company. The deployment of refugees from countries such as Syria, Eritrea, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, and Ukraine takes place within the framework of employment, traineeships and internships. The focus is on projects and programs that promote language acquisition.

Using a specially developed in-house language learning app, for example, DPDHL Group also helps them learn German. In 2022, the Group received the e-Learning AWARD 2022 for its integrative social approach. The initiative is supported by volunteer employees who get involved as mentors, trainers, coaches or reading and language mentors in large numbers throughout Germany.

As a long-standing partner of the United Nations, the Group supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. And as part of its Sustainability Roadmap, for example, the Group has committed itself to being a responsible employer that provides the best working conditions for all its employees and practices responsible corporate governance.