40
The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) has captured nationwide examples in a guide to overcoming gender inequality in the workplace, such as through more flexible working hours to balance care responsibilities and sick leave (see Call to
35 Eurostat (2021), 'Migrant integration statistics labour market indicators', available at: https://ec.europa.eu/ eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Migrant_integration_statistics_%E2%80%93_labour_market_ indicators
36 Council of Europe, 'Thematic Papers', see at: https://www.coe.int/en/web/interculturalcities/thematic- papers#{%2297133329%22:[2]}
Action below). Understanding the gender dimensions of the local labour market and participation levels of women and men across sectors can help cities work with local employers to address shortages and gaps.
An Inclusive Labour Market handbook for intercultural organisations [Portuguese Network of Intercultural Cities]
Equity, diversity and inclusion in workplaces span many intersecting identities. Thus, in targeting gender equality, companies need to also address other issues of inequity, such as in the context of migration. Migrant unemployment rates are consistently higher than those of persons born locally35 with migrant women facing particular challenges to entering the workforce. In 2021, the Portuguese Network of Intercultural Cities (RPCI) with the support of the Municipalities of Amadora, Loures and Oeiras and the sponsorship of the Council of Europe, developed the Inclusive Labour Market handbook for intercultural organisations by analysing the experiences of public authorities at the municipal level, migrant people and companies and identifying the main barriers they face. The handbook highlights the crucial role of cities in promoting inclusive employment. For example, the municipality of Oeiras gathered together all the local partners working on employment into a network entitled Oeiras+ which develops events and trainings for practitioners, recruitment campaigns, and training courses in partnership with Job Services and local employers. This combination of efforts means that the network can provide quick and effective responses that match people s interests with the specific needs of the local labour market. Furthermore, the municipality created a local employment page on its Oeiras Valley website to facilitate matching between job seekers and employers in the city. Loures takes a slightly different approach. Here, the municipality carries out awareness- raising activities for local employers about the importance of diversity and inclusion, and promotes local partnerships focusing on the inclusion of disadvantaged groups into the labour market. In the city of Amadora a voluntary mentors for migrants programme supports migrants in various integration needs, including labour market integration. These examples demonstrate the wide range of possibilities that cities have at their disposal for improving labour market participation of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups. The Council of Europe s Intercultural cities programme provides a range of other resources on their website such as policy briefs, guides, handbooks and assessment tools on topics such as anti-discrimination, education, public and community services and many more36.
[ CALL TO ACTION ] Do you want to work towards more gender equal workplaces? Learn more in this guide by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) on Gender equality from an employer s perspective.
Case Study
