Breaking through barriers: Upwardly Global helps work-authorized immigrants secure meaningful U.S. employment

As Cisco’s commitment to our purpose to power an inclusive future for all drives us forward, we continue expand how we use our technology, our people, our resources, and our networks to address inequities and open more opportunities for more people.

To power this kind of future, we work closely with nonprofit partners who provide people with equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to support themselves and their families toward long-term resilience and economic security – partners like Upwardly Global.

Breaking down systemic barriers to employment for immigrants and refugees

More than two million highly skilled immigrants, refugees, and asylees with work authorization live legally in the U.S. but can’t find jobs that match their skills and experience. At the same time, the U.S. workforce faces an acute labor shortage, particularly in the STEM and healthcare sectors. These engineers, healthcare workers, and other professionals meet necessary criteria to help fill these positions, yet systemic barriers to employment make it challenging for immigrants to find work. They may lack the necessary tools to efficiently search for a job, speak English as their second language, have a small network, or may be unfamiliar with U.S. workplace language and culture.

As a result, highly skilled immigrants continue to remain underemployed in lower-paying jobs such as rideshare drivers or maintenance. Upwardly Global helps these job seekers understand and navigate the U.S. job market to re-engage with their professional careers. By seeking employment that aligns with rather than neglects their skills, immigrants can acquire stable and sufficient familial income, access future development opportunities, and contribute to their communities and the economy.

The social and economic impact of addressing inequities and bridging gaps is substantial. In 2023, the average starting salary of job seekers who completed Upwardly Global’s Career Coaching Program was $64,000 – a $50,600 annual salary gain. Together, the immigrants and refugees who completed the program in 2022 now contribute $74 million annually to the U.S. economy.

Career coaching builds a strategic path

Upwardly Global’s program provides job seekers with an experience that starts with education and ends with hiring, focused through an industry-relevant lens. Members begin their journey by pairing with a career coach who helps with building a strategic job-search path toward their desired career. Regular meetings help job seekers improve their professional English skills, which proves useful in both job interviews and communication within the U.S. workplace environment.

Members are also given access to eLearning resources where they can expand on or complement their skillsets. And when they begin the job search process, members learn how to use professional websites like LinkedIn and work with their coaches to grow their confidence and soft skills, both of which can diminish while integrating into a new and unfamiliar culture. Networking events, volunteering, and mentorships allow members to practice their skills while planting the seeds of their new, digital network. Further support in resume creation and interview preparation sets clients on a sturdy path towards their next opportunity.

AI: The employment game changer

In 2020, Cisco began supporting Upwardly Global as part of our larger One Billion Lives goal, created to positively impact one billion individual lives by 2025 through investing in nonprofit tech-based solutions (which we achieved over a year early in 2023).

Since the beginning of our involvement with Upwardly Global, AI has triggered a drastic shift in the U.S. job market across all unemployed individuals, with immigrants coming out at a greater disadvantage. A recent Stanford study on GPT-generated text found that 98 percent of content written by nonnative English speakers was falsely flagged as AI-generated. With companies now using AI to sort between qualified and unqualified candidates, immigrants face a tough new barrier to surmount during their job search.

In 2021, Upwardly Global released their AI job pathways tool, which provides a faster way to plan and execute job searches. Upwardly Global’s newest round of funding from Cisco will enable them to pilot and integrate two new AI upgrades that continue to transform the job search process: a career navigation assistant that can map out career paths, and an AI-powered resume and cover letter builder to strengthen applications before being submitted to recruiters. Piloting this new tool with current clients is paramount in helping Upwardly Global to develop a user-centric model that reflects the needs of the immigrant community. Upon integration, Upwardly Global expects that these new tools will help job seekers move through their program more quickly, providing quality income earlier and allowing Upwardly Global to help more individuals overall.

“Upwardly Global consistently empowers newcomer communities, thanks to our impactful partnerships. Our support from Cisco serves as a bedrock, supporting newcomers with cutting-edge resources essential for their professional success.”
—Jina Krause-Vilmar, Upwardly Global President and CEO

Social impact

In addition to continued support from Cisco, Upwardly Global also partners with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and was recently featured in a report by the Department of Labor. The nonprofit’s overall success includes over 11,000 job placements to date, with a total 2023 economic impact of US$74 million. Following are just two examples of how Upwardly Global has helped thousands of U.S. immigrants, refugees, and asylees pursue meaningful work:

• Anastasiia, an HR manager from Ukraine, held two master’s degrees and was an HR manager before she was forced to flee to New York with her son. Eager to find new work, she was hired as an IT recruiter after one month in the Upwardly Global Career Coaching Program.
• Vanessa, a Venezuelan anesthesiologist, fled her home country with family to New York. She could not find relevant work, and her family struggled for five years to earn a living. After connecting with Upwardly Global, Vanessa found a job at a New York hospital as a senior anesthesia technician.

Upwardly Global’s impact on people trying to build a new life in the United States is impressive. Partnering with nonprofits like Upwardly Global means we can together multiply our impact and help vulnerable people in the U.S. and around the world achieve stability, resilience, independence, agency, and economic security.

With every person our nonprofit partners impact and every connection we make, we continue to advance Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all.

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