«The one who goes will pass the road.» This is how refugees seek jobs in the Lviv region

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46-year-old Yulia Irofeeva from Zaporizhzhia used to work at home as a chief accountant in a construction company. The woman moved to Lviv and now works here as a seamstress, sewing bags. «It was very difficult. You are not in your city, not in your home, without a job, without the usual communication with friends and acquaintances. When I saw the sewing courses, I decided to enrol. When you start sewing by hand at the age of 46, you sit down at the typewriter, it’s not easy, but you have to try. The one who goes will pass the road,» – says Yulia. The first thing to sew to victory is the blue and yellow flag. And now, the woman says, she plans to sew what is needed – bags, bulletproof vests, anything if it’s allowed.

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Since the beginning of the full-scale war, more than 242,000 internally displaced persons have officially moved to the Lviv region. According to a survey by the Rating group, only 7% chose the region because of the opportunity to get a job here. 19% of internally displaced have already found employment, while 54% of displaced Ukrainians do not intend to look for work. Lviv Now found out whether it is difficult for refugees to find work in the Lviv region.

During more than three months of the war, enterprises in the Lviv region employed almost 400 residents from other regions. Not everyone who has been forced to leave their homes and moved here intends to look for a temporary job, as they plan to return. Similarly, not every employer has open vacancies, while some help the displaced Ukrainians specifically. Some companies focus on two-month compensation from the state, but there are companies such as hospitals, which do not receive such assistance, so they hire employees solely for their professionalism and experience. In addition, people who have moved, for example, to Lviv are not afraid to radically change their activities, and even in old age try something new.

How entrepreneurs help the refugees

As of June 6, enterprises in the Lviv region employed more than 380 residents from other regions, of which almost 250 were registered as internally displaced (IDP). However, not all job seekers have this status. For example, if they have moved from another city, they are simply tracked at their place of employment at the employment centre. Some of them already have the status of IDPs, so the staff of the centre only records this. In total, more than 2,600 IDPs applied to the employment centres in the Lviv region to obtain the status of the unemployed.

Stories of refugees’ employment are quite different. Some companies hire only a few people because they do not have more opportunities. Wilhelm Kurovets, owner of the «Naturale» farm in the Kamyanka-Buzka community, says he has hired four migrants, two from Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, one from Irpin in the Kyiv region and one from Barvinkove, Kharkiv region. The man started his business earlier, but has actually launched it now. The farm is engaged in growing and storing organic food.

«In my opinion, not all employers want to hire refugees, for some reason they are afraid. Yes, there are different people among displaced people, but I look directly at their moral qualities. These people did not come here out of good will, and they need help. You know, we work together, we eat together, they tell me about their problems. Imagine when a guy from Irpin says that his house was destroyed to the ground, and now, walking through it, the shoes are just burning. This is a catastrophe. When I communicate with these people, I see completely different eyes,» – says Wilhelm Kurovets.

Currently, only four refugees work at Naturale. The owner adds that he is considering options to still employ people.

Some employers have almost halved their staff in order to help people who have lost their homes and jobs. Among them is a subsidiary of «Savservis Karpaty», which leases vehicles and conducts customs operations. Prior to the full-scale invasion, the company employed about 20 people. Later, it was decided to employ another 23 people who moved to the Lviv region from other regions. Most of them are residents of the Kyiv region.

«We used to trade in Ukraine, but then we reduced our turnover a bit and closed our destinations. As some IDPs are looking for employment opportunities, we have decided that we can help. We understand that this is temporary, and people will not work for two or three years. Many say that as soon as the situation improves, they will return home. And while we help them, they help us. This is good for everyone – both the state and entrepreneurs,» – says the company’s chief accountant, Olha Shevchenko.

In addition to the desire to help, the state compensation program is also important for a large number of entrepreneurs, when the employer is paid UAH 6,500 for each employed refugee within two months. Some companies even have to lay off their employees because there are no vacancies. This is the situation in the management of housing and communal services and consumer services in Medenychi, Drohobych district. Director Stefania Susyak says that due to state aid, five internally displaced persons have been employed, albeit temporarily.

«From Hrushiv, the family of three has applied to us. They couldn’t afford living expenses, so we accepted them. One person was also accepted in Voroblevychi. And another man in Medenychi. We just wanted to help them, and temporarily hired them for two months. In total, there are four refugees from the Kharkiv region and one from Mariupol,» – she said.

According to her, many people need work – both refugees and locals. Due to the fact that many of them, especially men, used to go abroad to work, they now are obliged to stay at home.

Note that not all companies can receive compensation for employed people, so they try to focus primarily on the professionalism and experience. For example, the compensation mechanism does not apply to non-profit budget institutions, in particular hospitals. Although the First Medical Association of Lviv says that 27 doctors have already been employed. Due to this, some areas in hospitals have been strengthened, and even new ones have been opened.

«We have now greatly intensified oncology surgery, prominent oncology surgeons of various fields have moved from Kharkiv. A doctor from Kyiv also moved, thanks to his move and employment we have a new field – oncomamology. Vascular surgeons were also employed. A cool ophthalmologist started working at the children’s hospital. A team of cardiac surgeons also moved from Kyiv to our children’s hospital. The team of neurosurgeons has strengthened, as a pediatric neuroepilepsy centre is being set up. We understand that people come to Lviv with experience, and we simply have no choice but to take them to our teams. So we became stronger, and there were more opportunities for our patients,» – said Iryna Zaslavets, Development Director of the First Territorial Medical Association in Lviv.

How do refugees find employment?

According to a survey conducted by the Rating Group, 19% of internally displaced persons have already found work in the Lviv region. Another 39% of unemployed migrants intend to look for work. In total, 26% of respondents say they would like to stay or find a job in the Lviv region.

As a rule, when looking for a job through employment centres, vacancies are offered according to the request of the job seeker. It is not always possible for people to find a job with satisfactory conditions. Therefore, they decide to look for themselves, often taking courses to retrain employment. Some even dare to do so at a fairly young age. For example, 60-year-old Olha Hrechukha from Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region, who worked as a kindergarten teacher and became a pizza chef after moving to Lviv.

«When I arrived in Lviv, I saw an advertisement for a pizzaiolo vacancy on the Internet and decided to try myself in this speciality. I met very good people at my new job who communicated correctly and taught me a lot, I am very grateful to them for that. The training lasted two weeks, there was a lot of practice. I want to continue working in this speciality,» – says the woman.

He adds that after returning home, he wants to continue working in a new speciality.

46-year-old Yulia Irofeeva from Zaporizhzhia also had to radically changed her activity. At home, she worked as a chief accountant in a construction company. As the company’s facilities were now in the temporarily occupied territory, they could no longer continue to operate. Then, the woman moved to Lviv.

«It was very difficult. You are not in your city, not in your home, without a job, without the usual communication with friends and acquaintances. When I saw the sewing courses, I decided to enrol. When you start sewing by hand at the age of 46, you sit down at the typewriter, it’s not easy, but you have to try. The one who goes will pass the road,» – says Yulia.

The first thing to sew before victory is the blue and yellow flag. And now, the woman says, she plans to sew what is needed – bags, bulletproof vests, anything that’s allowed. allowed.

28-year-old Rodion Baranov from Kharkiv worked in trade, but after moving to Lviv, he also changed his business. The man completed training courses and became a plumber. Now, he intends to stay in Lviv and work in a new speciality.

«When I came to Lviv region from the beginning of hostilities, I decided not to sit idle, especially since good people advised me to hold such courses. I decided to change my profession completely, there is a high probability that I will work as a plumber. Moreover, I tried the case in practice, at home,» – says the man.

Currently, there is no shortage of vacancies in the Lviv region, according to Taras Havunka, head of the Lviv Regulatory Hub. Some of the refugees choose a place to move based on their specific employment opportunities. However, due to a number of circumstances, not all displaced persons start working. Probably due in part to receiving financial assistance (UAH 2,000 – ed.).

Also, some migrants plan to return to their cities, so they do not really want to work here for a few months. On the other hand, it is difficult to say whether it is good or bad, because there is no portrait of the refugee in terms of psychological and social challenges.

«Vacancies are still more attractive or less attractive. An interesting aspect is that some groups moved more purposefully. For example, IDPs from mining regions in eastern Ukraine tried to move to the Chervonohrad district in order to be able to find employment there. In my opinion, it’s very cool, because people focused on work, not only on humanitarian aid or material assistance from the state,» – explains Taras Havunka.

The nuance is also that due to martial law and mobilization, men of conscription age must remain in Ukraine. The economy suffers to some extent from this, because they cannot earn money abroad and transfer it here. Nevertheless, according to the expert, it was a part of the national economy that helped to develop.

Yulia Osym, translated by Vitalii Holich

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