Summary
Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are crucial to the EU’s economy. While many SMEs experience labour shortages and express an interest in tapping into international talent, they encounter significant hurdles to doing so in most Member States. Additionally, SMEs often lack in-house knowledge to effectively attract, onboard, and retain talent. Targeted support for SMEs can thus play a valuable role across the recruitment and employment journey. Given the nature of SMEs, this support could be rendered more efficient by investing not directly in individual employers but rather in "bridging actors” who work directly with SMEs, such as umbrella organisations, profession and industry associations, public employment services, and business and local development agencies.
Under the BRIDGE research project, ICMPD’s Policy Unit is conducting research and analysis to identify bridging actors and explore promising practices. This includes a series of stakeholder workshops and close cooperation with selected bridging organisations to gain input. The project will recommend ways to scale up the support capacity of bridging actors in EU Member States and develop tools to enable them to provide more robust support for SMEs in navigating the recruitment, onboarding, and integration of foreign workers. Its ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity of bridging actors to support SMEs in recruiting, integrating, and retaining international talent, thereby addressing skills shortages and fostering innovation and contributing to long-term competitiveness and sustainability.