How much talent are we wasting when migrants are seen only as unskilled workers, rather than professionals, leaders and people with ambitions of their own?
Today, Centrala is launching More Than a Workforce — a campaign calling for greater economic justice, fairer opportunities and better recognition of the skills, qualifications and experience migrant communities bring to the UK. Migrants make an enormous contribution to our economy and communities, yet too many people find that migration means taking a massive step back. Qualifications gained overseas may not be recognised, previous experience usually is not taken into consideration, and language barriers, discrimination, unfamiliar systems and limited access to professional networks can restrict opportunities to progress. The result is skilled and experienced people working far below their abilities, while valuable knowledge, leadership and potential go unseen. We want that to change.
Through More Than a Workforce, we are bringing migrant voices and lived experiences into conversations about fair work, career progression, leadership and economic justice. Over the past months, we have been working directly with migrant communities through a series of creative storytelling workshops, collecting experiences of rebuilding careers after migration, unrecognised qualifications, lost opportunities, barriers to progression and leadership, as well as resilience and success. These stories, alongside research and wider evidence, are now helping to shape the campaign and the changes we want to see. Over the coming months, we will share these experiences, challenge stereotypes and push for change so that migrants have genuine opportunities to work fairly, progress professionally, lead, influence and contribute according to their abilities — not the barriers placed in their way.
This campaign is part of our wider work through CEEus!, bringing migrant communities together to strengthen leadership and collective voice, connect with decision-makers and influence the systems that affect our lives. We want more voices involved. If you have lived experience, work with migrant communities or believe in fairer opportunities, join the CEEus! Network and be part of the campaign:
Because migrants are more than a workforce. We are professionals, leaders, entrepreneurs, creators and neighbours — and our skills, experience and potential deserve to be recognised.