By Jofelle P. Tesorio
This blog is the second of the series that the author is writing about the Ukrainian diaspora at the onset of Russia’s war against Ukraine. While Ukrainians refugees have been given a swift entry to the labour market in comparison to other refugee groups, their labour situation appears to be dependent on job availability not so much on skills or education because of, among others, geographical location of the settlement, language, mismatch of skills, and recognition of qualification certificates.
Jobs can mean a community for Ukrainians. During my research, I talked to some women (and very few men) in the peripheral municipalities in Groningen, Netherlands and in Lomża, Poland, to find out the opportunities especially in places far from urban areas and city centres. Almost everyone I spoke to said that having a job is a way to cope, to be independent, and not to think too much about the future and loved ones left behind.
Many have settled in their host countries because of the uncertainty surrounding the prospects of return, and having a job means integrating easily. The EU temporary protection directive (TPD) has given the Ukrainian refugees a shortcut access to the EU labour market without the need for a work permit. At least 40% have found jobs across EU countries, according to OECD. The statistical bureau CBS reported that of the about 65,000 Ukrainians in the Netherlands by the end of 2022, over 30,000 of them are employed. This is equivalent to 46%. Three months after settling in the Netherlands, 36% of Ukrainian refugees work, mostly in the temporary employment sector (41%) or the hospitality industry (20%). The average hourly wage is €14, of which 6% receive less than €11 per hour.
In Poland, by the start of 2023, around 900,000 out of more than 1.5 million Ukrainians have taken up jobs. According to a survey of the Centre for East European Studies at Warsaw University, 78% of Ukrainians have found work, 12 percentage points higher than the pre-war Ukrainian expat population. The study cited better knowledge of the Polish language among Ukrainians.
While Ukrainian refugees’ early job uptakes are high compared to other refugee groups, what makes these jobs accessible to Ukrainians? Are the right skills and qualifications of Ukrainian refugees being tapped or matched to these jobs? What are the barriers in getting better or suitable job opportunities for them?
The reality on the ground
There may be an abundance of low-skilled jobs especially at the beginning of the war, but finding suitable jobs commensurate with refugees’ educational background and experience remains a challenge.
Within two months of arrival in the Netherlands, Yuliia (not her real name), a Ukrainian mother of five who lives in Het Hogeland in Groningen province, The Netherlands, found a job packing biscuits at a factory in a nearby village. Her eldest daughter works at the same factory. Another daughter found a job picking and packing flowers at a greenhouse outside Rotterdam through an employment agency.
Since taking on the job, the monthly food and subsistence allowance for them (except for the two minors) was stopped. She has a zero-hour contract, and her work assignments vary, depending on the demand for cakes. Meaning, when there is no work, she doesn’t get paid. There were a couple of months during the winter where she only worked a few days.
“I am twice happy because it is difficult to have a job in this region. We were looking for other jobs all year because this job is not permanent,” she said.
In Lomża, Poland, most of the Ukrainian refugees I spoke to found jobs a few weeks after arrival. Two of them, who worked as cosmetologists in Ukraine, continued this line of work and counted fellow Ukrainians as their clients. One of them goes to Kraków and Lublin, bigger cities outside Lomża, to visit clients. This way, she can augment her income. Although Poland grants Ukrainian refugees the same rights and benefits accorded to Polish nationals, it is not enough to live by in low-waged peripheries like Lomża. In fact, the majority of Ukrainian refugees still live in shelters because they cannot afford to rent even when having jobs.
Barriers to (gainful) employment
Language comes first in the list of challenges in finding employment. Even with low-skilled jobs, they are expected to know the local language. In the beginning, Ukrainian refugees could get jobs quickly because there was a surge of support. In Poland, language is still a barrier but affinity to the Slavic language makes it easier for Ukrainians to learn Polish. Other barriers to employment include the absence of opportunities in many settlement locations, mismatch of skills and qualifications, and recognition of qualification certificates.
“We have someone who was a successful real estate agent in Ukraine with an HBO (higher profession education), but unfortunately the first job she found was cleaning, and also because she doesn’t speak English,” said an employee of a skills training initiative in Groningen region.
However, even high-educated Ukrainians who speak English fluently find it hard to land jobs that match their education and experience. In the Netherlands, many coveted jobs often require a high Dutch proficiency, training, and stringent validation process of diplomas.
“It is not very easy to find a good job without English or Dutch. Either we clean houses or work in farms and factories. To work in a farm or factories, we need a car because they’re too far,” said one Ukrainian who used to be a biology teacher in Ukraine.
Free to settle, free to work and some nuances
The Ukrainians are motivated to get any job, thus, many of the early job uptakes are low-skilled jobs in factories, hospitality, domestic work, home care, restaurants, retail, and supermarkets. Most of them have higher-than-average level of education.
The case studies in Lomża and Het Hogeland reveal that jobs and geographical location are interlinked. Small municipalities, especially those experiencing depopulation, offer little opportunities for the higher educated and highly skilled. Compounded by low wages and zero-hour contracts, there is a tendency for Ukrainian refugees to re-assess their situation in staying or moving to bigger cities, but there is another problematic issue of housing scarcity.
Since able-bodied men are prevented from leaving Ukraine, the demographic composition of Ukrainians is mostly mothers, the elderly, and minors. This poses a challenge for full employment among adults unless childcare is made available. Many of those I spoke with (in the Netherlands) are working part time with zero-hours contracts because of this reason.
Almost two years on, the absence of a long-term investment for the employment of Ukrainian refugees has put many of them in a vulnerable position despite the free-to-settle, free-to-work scheme. Isn’t it time for the EU or at least on a local level to think of moving from reception to permanent settlement to address the current needs of Ukrainians such as language acquisition, and jobs matching that focus on their actual skills and qualifications? And should it also be a high time to look at the Ukrainian refugee situation as an example in dealing with other refugee groups?
