Unlocking potential: tackling the refugee gap in the digital workforce

A growing, untapped workforce

There are more than 117 million forcibly displaced people globally. Many live in low-resource environments, often in host countries with their own economic challenges. At the same time, the global labour market is shifting rapidly. A shortage of digital workers, particularly in ICT roles, is projected across Europe and beyond. Remote work, freelancing and platform-based employment have expanded – but not equally.

Digital work offers flexibility, location independence and access to a broader job market. For refugees, these are essential features in contexts where formal employment may be legally restricted or geographically inaccessible. However, this potential remains largely unrealised.

The formula that matters

The study, ‘Digital Employment Pipelines for Refugees: A Systematic Review’, identifies 2 key components that determine whether digital work is viable for displaced populations:

• Enabling conditions: These include access to electricity, stable internet, appropriate devices, secure payment systems, and legal documentation. Many refugee-hosting regions lack these foundational inputs.
• Employability factors: Refugees also need digital literacy, relevant technical skills, language ability, soft skills and- crucially – experience or portfolios that help them compete in global marketplaces.

Without both, digital opportunities remain out of reach.

Intermediaries are critical – but under-supported

The private sector increasingly recognises the value of diverse, distributed teams. Yet very few companies are actively engaging refugee talent. Part of the challenge lies in perception, but much of it is structural.

For refugees, this means they often encounter legal and operational constraints, even when their skills are aligned. ID verification, payment compliance and tax documentation rules exclude them from platform participation. For example, in Kenya, refugees must obtain a tax identification number to access work platforms like Upwork – yet many cannot, due to lack of recognised status.

The result is a persistent access gap. Refugees are capable, but invisible in digital hiring systems.

Intermediary organisations are doing much of the heavy lifting to close the gap. NGOs, social enterprises and purpose-driven platforms are providing training, mentorship, co-working spaces, device access and support for platform onboarding. Na’amal, for example, has established an agency to link trained refugee talent with digital work opportunities. Other initiatives – such as Humans in the Loop, Boundless Skills, and the Dadaab Collective – are building models that match refugee workers with clients and offer wraparound support.

But most operate at a limited scale, with fragmented funding. Their success underscores a key insight: the digital economy is not automatically inclusive. Making it work for refugees requires targeted support and systemic change.

A shift in mindset

Digital employment is not a silver bullet, but it can be part of a broader strategy to expand refugee access to decent work. Achieving this requires a shift in how we think about refugee livelihoods: from short-term training interventions to long-term ecosystem building.

That includes investment in infrastructure, flexible regulatory frameworks, cross-sector collaboration, and more consistent support for intermediaries that are already bridging the gap between refugee communities and global digital markets.

As demand for global digital talent grows, inclusion is not just an ethical imperative – it’s a business one.