Our Mission
Upwardly Global dismantles employment barriers for work-authorized immigrant, refugee, and asylee professionals while advancing the inclusion of their skills into the U.S. economy.
Our Vision
We envision an equitable, welcoming country where everyone — including immigrants, refugees, and asylees — can fully contribute and thrive.
The Challenge
50% of recently arrived immigrants have at least a bachelor’s degree, yet 1 in 4 are unable to get a job at their skill level. This leaves 2 million+ work-authorized immigrant professionals unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile, by 2035, immigrants and their children are expected to be the sole source of U.S. workforce growth.
Many work-authorized immigrants don’t know the soft skills of the American job market, and many employers can’t see past biases to a jobseeker’s talents and skills. This creates a disconnect that leads to, for example, doctors working in service jobs – even as we’re experiencing a shortage of doctors in many parts of the country.
Our strategy is anchored by three pillars:
Seek insight
The people we work with are facing complex and varied challenges. For immigrants, refugees, and asylees, these challenges are deeply personal. HR professionals are trying to balance the humanity behind their work with evolving technology, and our community partners are guiding newcomers through sensitive, critical transitions. Our success as an organization depends on our continued attention to all these partners’ unique needs and obstacles, which is why we work one-on-one to build relationships and learn as we go. We always stay close to the people we serve and continuously update our services based on their insights.
Leverage technology
We supplement our human-centered approach with a keen understanding of the technology that’s driving workforce integration. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the workforce, and we prioritize AI literacy for our jobseekers to ensure they can be competitive in today’s labor market. By combining innovative technology with personalized support and close collaboration with employers, we are working towards a future where AI creates more pathways to opportunity, unlocks talent that might otherwise be overlooked, and helps build more effective workforce systems.
Track success
We offer coaching, training, tools, resources, opportunities for networking and engagement, and genuine partnership to all the people we serve. How do we know our strategy works? We’ve placed 35,000+ job seekers in skill-aligned jobs, and people who get placed through our programs, on average, more than triple their salary. One in four employers using our talent solutions hire from within our network, and Upwardly Global alumni contribute over $1.9B annually to the U.S. economy.
Our vision may be bold, but it is rooted in the reality of the success we see every day.
How it Works:
UpGlo Direct
UpGlo Talent
UpGlo Connect
Our Values
Respect
Treating all people with respect and dignity is the foundation of our mission.
Building Power
We provide our staff with the support they need to help immigrants reach their full potential in the U.S.
Collaboration
We strive to create a collaborative community with our staff, partners and supporters.
Innovation
We trust each other to be creative, solve problems, and continuously evolve.
Passion for Mission
We believe immigration is an engine of our economy, and we believe in the American Dream.
Inclusion
We promote workforce inclusion through our mission and our culture, and strive to model a world where everyone has equal access to opportunity.