Refugee hiring in hospitality is the focus of a growing partnership between Accor and Community Corporate, which aims to place 100 more refugees and migrants in hotel roles across Australia by the end of 2025.
Refugee hiring in hospitality is the focus of a growing partnership between Accor and Community Corporate, which aims to place 100 more refugees and migrants in hotel roles across Australia by the end of 2025.
Announced ahead of World Refugee Day (20 June), the expanded collaboration seeks to open more doors for job seekers facing barriers to employment, particularly women from refugee backgrounds, by building supportive pathways into hospitality.
Accor, the largest hotel operator in Australia, has already hired nearly 100 refugees and migrants across 17 hotels and Qantas lounges. Recruits represent 18 cultural backgrounds and speak 22 languages. Notably, 68 per cent are women, a powerful shift in addressing gendered inequity within this cohort.
Hotels involved range from Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour to ibis Styles Brisbane, with roles spanning all levels of the business.
Why is this model different from traditional hiring?
Instead of relying on standard job boards or experience-based filtering, Accor works directly with Community Corporate’s employer-led program to develop readiness, skills and support networks for refugees and migrants.
“Hospitality is, at its core, about people, and the richness of our industry comes from the diversity of those who power it,” said Accor Pacific COO Adrian Williams. “This partnership is changing lives, strengthening our teams and reminding us of what’s possible when businesses lead with purpose”.
Accor also offers cultural confidence training to its leaders and is part of the Multicultural South Australia Ambassador Program.
What’s planned for 2025?
Following a national roadshow across five major cities last year, Accor will expand into Tasmania and the Gold Coast in 2025. The target: 100 more hires by year’s end.
The initiative will also trial new digital training modules on diversity, safety and inclusion within Accor’s hotel network.
Community Corporate CEO Carmen Garcia said strong outcomes depend on bold leadership: “We need more corporate partners like Accor. They walk the talk, investing in the human outcomes and helping to change the narrative of what is possible when refugees are given a fair go”.
What does success look like?
For Bibi Zahra, a young woman from Afghanistan, it meant her first permanent job and a life-changing shift. After fleeing instability under the Taliban and spending time in Iran with limited opportunity, she arrived in Australia in 2023 under an orphan relative visa.
Despite taking ad hoc jobs in farming and construction, stable work remained out of reach. After completing Community Corporate’s SETS Job Bootcamp, she landed a hospitality role at Accor’s Qantas Lounge in Adelaide.
“More than just learning, I felt seen and empowered,” Bibi said. She is now studying a Diploma of Nursing at the University of South Australia, made possible by the confidence and security her new job brings.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Accor’s expanded partnership with Community Corporate is more than CSR — it’s a blueprint for how hospitality can drive real social impact. In an industry shaped by people, purpose-led hiring is not only good ethics, it’s smart business. This model demonstrates how brands can address workforce shortages while fostering meaningful inclusion at scale.
