EU Employment and Social Affairs Ministers will exchange views, on Monday 13 March during the meeting of the ‘Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs’ Council, on the integration of the 4 million Ukrainians with temporary protection status into the EU labour market.
There are currently about “one million of them in employment”, according to a note prepared for this discussion by the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council.
Specifically, the ministers will be asked on 13 March to consider how the social and employment situation in their country is affected by the war in Ukraine, along with rising inflation rates and energy prices, and what the labour market situation is for displaced persons from Ukraine.
A third question will focus on the measures taken by Member States to facilitate the integration of Ukrainians into the labour market.
Most public employment services in the EU have “adapted their services to address the specific needs of displaced people from Ukraine, by offering online information in Ukrainian, by providing tailor-made assistance by dedicated counsellors speaking Ukrainian, or by offering interpretation”, the Swedish Presidency summarises.
However, “securing employment in the host Member States can be challenging, notably due to barriers to enter the labour markets, such as language barriers, skills recognition, insufficient access to early childcare for parents, and in particular women, and the negative consequences from the trauma of war”.
The situation is particularly difficult for groups in vulnerable situations, such as people with disabilities or single parents, the preparation note adds.
The Presidency notes, however, that Member States have put in place numerous measures to eliminate the barriers to employment, many of which aim at enabling access to the labour market, training, upskilling or reskilling, setting up public dedicated services and enhancing the provision of childcare as of the earliest age.
The Commission adopted a recommendation on the recognition of qualifications of people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The online tool ‘EU Talent Pool Pilot’, available in Ukrainian, helps all persons benefiting from the Temporary Protection Directive to make their profile available to European employers registered on the EURES portal.
Link to the note: https://aeur.eu/f/5nc (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)