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Work's Not Working... Let's Fix It!Author: Sian Harrington Language: en-gb Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Talent We Keep Overlooking: The Refugee Advantage - Dalton T Sirmans
Episode 6
Monday, 28 September, 2026
In this episode of Work’s Not Working… Let’s Fix It!, Siân Harrington sits down with entrepreneur, investor and author Dalton T. Sirmans to ask why employers searching for adaptable talent may be overlooking millions of refugees.Refugees are usually discussed through the language of humanitarian crisis, politics and cost. Dalton argues that this can obscure another part of the story: people rebuilding their lives as employees, entrepreneurs, business owners and economic contributors.Drawing on his research into forced displacement and his experience as an entrepreneur and impact investor, Dalton explores what he calls ‘the refugee advantage’: the resilience, adaptability, persistence and problem solving that can be developed or revealed when people have had to start again.But this is not about romanticising displacement. Refugee status tells an employer very little on its own about someone’s ability to do a job. The bigger question is whether the way we recruit and assess people makes some forms of talent almost impossible to see.Dalton shares the stories of refugee entrepreneurs who have built substantial businesses, Afghan helicopter mechanics whose skills translated into entirely different jobs and a US manufacturer that redesigned its training for workers who did not speak English – and saw production increase as a result.Whether you’re an HR leader struggling with skills shortages, an employer looking beyond conventional recruitment channels or simply interested in how people rebuild their working lives, this episode asks us to look again at who we recognise as talent.Key takeawaysRefugees can disappear from employers’ view when unfamiliar qualifications, language and conventional recruitment criteria become barriers to recognising capabilityAdaptability, resilience and problem solving are characteristics employers frequently say they need. Dalton argues that displacement can reveal or sharpen these qualitiesRefugee entrepreneurship is significant. Dalton points to US research showing refugees are almost twice as likely to become entrepreneurs as native-born Americans and other immigrantsHumanitarian framing has an unintended consequence. Seeing refugees primarily through vulnerability and need can make their economic contribution harder to recogniseBetter inclusion can improve the system for everyone. One manufacturer removed written language from training and used diagrams instead, opening jobs to non-English speakers and increasing productionBeing a refugee should neither qualify nor disqualify someone for a job. Employers need better ways to uncover what people can actually doEmployers do not have to start alone. Refugee organisations, local colleges and other businesses can help them find talent and understand how to support people into workThe private sector has a role in a displacement challenge that governments and humanitarian organisations cannot tackle on their own.Interested in insights about people leadership, HR and the future of work? Seize and shape the future of work with The People Space, a leading digital HR magazine for forward-thinking leaders. We empower you to put people at the heart of work, navigating the evolving intersection of technology, business and human insight. Join us in building a future where people and machines collaborate for a more human-centric workplaceSign up for our free fortnightly newsletter on the future of work, human-centric organisations and people-first leadershipFollow Siân on LinkedInAre you an HR professional seeking to raise your profile? I can help!HR vendor or consultant? Check out how I can help you reach senior HR leaders.Follow The People Space on Facebook
