About the Book
Refugee Workforce weaves engaging, real-life stories with supporting statistics to present a compelling case for hiring the displaced.
Heated immigration debates rise to a boil as an unprecedented 70.8million, and counting, are displaced worldwide. While politicians fight to limit immigration, the U.S. economy struggles under the weight of a growing problem: a gaping hole in skilled trades workers.
As of May 2019, job openings soared to over 7.5 million, leaving business owners desperate for skilled and dependable labor. With unemployment rates at their lowest in over half a century, where can these companies turn for the help they need?
The labor shortage problem is growing, but we believe the answer to it has also been growing in cities across the United States: the refugee workforce.
Refugees are individuals who have been forced to leave their home country because of war, persecution,ornatural disaster. Resettled in countries across the world, they must quickly acclimate to their new environments. They are resilient, and they are motivated—factors leading many refugees to take humble jobs well below their occupational and educational capacity in order to provide for themselves.
In 2014, Chris Chancey began to recognize how these two needs, when put together, could serve as a solution to each other. Now, after five years of staffing American companies with the refugee workforce, he is more convinced than ever that hiring refugees is not only a socially responsible decision, but also a profitable decision.
“Refugee Workforce” pulls back the curtain on what he believes is the best-kept secret for the health of America’s economy.
About the authors
CHRIS CHANCEY
Chris Chancey is the CEO of Amplio Recruiting, which he founded in 2014 to connect resettled refugees with open positions in the Atlanta job market. In the past five years, Amplio has grown steadily, helping over 300 companies fill crucial labor shortages with the “refugee workforce.” Amplio now operates in five U.S. cities and counting, including Houston, Dallas, Detroit and Raleigh, in addition to Atlanta. Chris has enthusiastically engaged thousands of individuals at events including SOCAP, Q Commons, Lions Den and Praxis Labs, and multiple churches and universities annually.
Chris is the author and editor for Bible on Business, a faith & work devotional with readership of over 25,000. He has also written for, or been featured by NPR, Inc.com, Fast Company, Univision, Monster.com, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Christianity Today and The Institute for Faith, Work and Economics.
Chris resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Sarah, and their son, Boaz.
KATIE GIBSON
Katie Gibson is a creative writer, author, and Bible teacher. As marketing coordinator for Amplio, she tells the stories of refugees and the companies that hire them, and shares deep insights into the resettlement process. With twelve years of experience in the non-profit sector, she believes in the power of story to move individuals to positive action.
Katie is the author of children’s book, “Different by Design,” and blogs about faith, marriage, and motherhood at www.katiegibsonwrites.com
Katie resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Craig, and their three children.
Amplio Recruiting is a multi-city staffing agency connecting companies with the dependable refugee workforce.
Amplio Recruiting has a growing platform for social enterprise and positive business impact. As the first and only certified B Corp staffing agency, Amplio stands as an example to other firms in their industry and in the social enterprise movement overall. Amplio is also a member of the exclusive Tent Partnership for Refugees with members such as Google, Hilton, Microsoft and Starbucks.