Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

This column reflects the opinion of the writer. Learn about the differences between a news story and an opinion column.

Christi Armstrong: Refugees are good for our community and our economy

By Christi Armstrong World Relief Spokane

We hear often in the news that the economy is doing well, but a shortage of workers threatens to put a stop to years of economic growth. Especially considering that June is World Refugee Month, I think the solution to this problem is right in front of our faces. We should be welcoming more refugees to continue our economic growth.

Take my friends Samir and Nafisa (refugees’ names in this article were changed to protect their privacy), for example. When they came to Spokane as refugees, their lives were wrapped up in a whirlwind of transition. Now, Samir and Nafisa are both successful American citizens and great examples of how refugees benefit our community and economy.

The couple and their young son came to Spokane after leaving behind their home of Sudan, which was engaged in a destructive civil war that put their lives at risk. After spending years in a neighboring country while going through the refugee vetting process, the family was approved to come to Spokane.

Once here, both Samir and Nafisa were quickly employed at local businesses. Nafisa earned a job with a local hotel and Samir was hired soon after at a local food production business. Both spent multiple years with these businesses before moving to new jobs – thanks in part to glowing reviews from their first employers. Because of their consistent full-time employment, the family hasn’t relied on government benefits. Rather, they have worked the jobs available to them, paid taxes and shopped at local businesses, benefiting our economy greatly.

Earlier this year, CBS reported that there were more job openings than unemployed people in almost every industry. That means that some businesses, including some in our area, are unable to fulfill contracts or take on more work simply because they do not have the people to do it.

That’s certainly true in our community. I speak with businesses all over the Inland Northwest through my work as the employment services director at World Relief Spokane and almost all of them are telling me the same thing: We have work, but we need workers. These businesses have historically depended on World Relief to find workers who will fill jobs like housekeeping, laundry, dishwashing, line cooking and assembly line work.

Refugees are uniquely positioned to fill many of the positions that businesses ask me about. Employers in Spokane tell me all the time that refugees show up on time, work hard, and don’t have high turnover rates.

Their experience is backed up by the research. A study by the Tent Foundation and Fiscal Policy Institute found that 73% of businesses improved employee retention by hiring refugees. Some others also found their recruitment was easier because of the company’s connection to local refugee communities.

To those of us who work at World Relief, the study was unsurprising. My refugee friends like Samir and Nafisa are deeply grateful to live in a peaceful country where they have steady jobs and their kids can go to school. Having a job is part of their American Dream. When refugees are employed here, they feel more American.

If we had more people like Samir and Nafisa to welcome, we could place them in the positions employers ask us to help them fill. Right now, many of those jobs remain unfilled at least in part because of the historically low refugee admissions caps in each of the past three years.

Many of my friends like Samir and Nafisa, who became citizens last year, remind me they are now Americans and finally have a country that wants them. Hopefully, they will never forget their heritage and culture, but I am deeply humbled at how much they love America.

Hiring refugees is a win-win. Refugees have an opportunity to start a new life in a safe country, many employers get a dedicated employee for the long haul, and our community gains another person who helps to make it better.

All we need to do to set up that win-win is welcome refugees in our nation.

Christi Armstrong is the employment services director at World Relief Spokane.