Cultural Bridges: Enhancing Workplace recruitment and onboarding for Migrant Professionals in Dutch Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

This project addresses the challenges in the Dutch labour market by focusing on how SMEs can improve their intercultural communication practices to foster inclusion, belonging, and long-term retention of professionals with a migrant background. The project Cultural Bridges tackles persistent labour shortages in Dutch SMEs by improving recruitment and onboarding practices for migrant and bicultural professionals, who are currently underrepresented in stable, meaningful jobs. It emphasizes that inclusive hiring is not only socially just but also strengthens SMEs through increased creativity, innovation, and competitiveness. The initiative is led by Hogeschool van Amsterdam in partnership with ReCulture Now (inclusive talent development), Community Guide Consulting (intercultural communication), and Untapped Talent (supporting stakeholder). Together, we will co-design, pilot, and evaluate intercultural recruitment and onboarding strategies, resulting in a digital toolkit and policy recommendations for wider SME adoption. By combining qualitative and quantitative research with co-creation workshops and pilot testing, the project aims to deliver practical, scalable solutions that foster workplace inclusion and align with EU recommendations for migrant integration.