Public Employment Services (PES) are one of the main actors to integrate displaced people from Ukraine in the labour market. To facilitate sharing of information and experience, the European Network of Public Employment Services has launched a questionnaire to collect information from PES.

The questionnaire was launched in Spring 2022 (for more information see footnote 1 in Annex 1). What follows is a summary of the main findings of the last update of the survey in November 2022. The summary does not aim to provide a comprehensive overview of practices in place. Rather, it emphasizes developments as they have been reported by Public Employment Services (PES) within the questionnaire as well as during the related PES Network mutual learning activities.

PES reacted quickly and adjusted their service offer

Since the outset of Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, PES across Europe have responded rapidly to the inflow of displaced people from Ukraine and the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive. Most PES offer website information in multiple languages. Materials and measures are being prepared and translated into Ukrainian (and sometimes Russian).

Many PES offer a simplified registration/pre-screening for displaced people from Ukraine. Others have dedicated counsellors or teams of counsellors, speaking Ukrainian or with access to interpreters.

In some PES, EURES advisers are part of dedicated teams, they are involved in dissemination of information, or their competence is used in other ways (e.g. in Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden). Co-operation with other authorities such as municipalities, social services, migration authorities as well as NGOs to facilitate support and integration is widespread.

Number of registrations with the PES varies

Gradually, displaced people from Ukraine have registered at PES across Europe and are available on the labour market. In the November survey, on an aggregated level, the number of persons registered at PES amounts to around 351 000 registrations at the 27 PES that have reported on this question. About 60 percent of these registrations are reported from Germany (see footnote 2, 3 and 4 in Annex 1).

The number of registered people displaced from Ukraine has decreased slightly in some PES in November, compared with the previous questionnaire. This is the case in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Lithuania, Poland and Spain. At the same time, their number has increased at PES in other countries, for example in Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden. 

Employment has increased from September

Data on employment is still limited. The use of different sources across countries can affect comparability and most PES are not responsible for employment statistics in their countries. Moreover, some PES report on difficulties to distinguish between persons covered by Temporary Protection and other Ukrainian citizens that started working in their country before the war.

Even though the statistics should be interpreted with some caution, they confirm the direction indicated in the latest questionnaire. The number of persons in employment has increased in almost all reporting countries compared with September.

In November, 21 PES have reported on employment. Figures reported by PES indicate that around 1 098 000 people displaced from Ukraine are in employment in these countries. This figure should include mainly people with Temporary Protection status. Jobs are mostly found in sectors with labour shortages. While these vary across countries, sectors as construction, hospitality as well as wholesale and retail trade are often mentioned (see footnotes 5 and 6 in Annex 1).

Figure 1. People displaced from Ukraine that are in employment, reported by PES

Source: European Commission, DG EMPL, PES Network questionnaire to PES

Language training and recognition of skills are key to work

Most PES continue to draw predominantly on existing active labour market policies to support people from Ukraine to integrate in the labour market.

According to PES, concerns by employers to hire displaced people from Ukraine relate primarily to the language barrier. Therefore, language training is highlighted as particularly important. In some countries, language training in English is also offered in addition to training in the host country language (e.g. Norway).

The experience made during the 2015/2016 refugee crisis can be built upon, since existing infrastructure for integration courses is being used to offer language and civic education courses to new arrivals immediately (for instance in Germany).

Assessments of skills and recognition of qualifications is another high priority. Professional recognition, however, is reportedly often lengthy. Against this background, some countries (such as Lithuania) have removed qualification requirements or waived skills evaluations for some occupations.

Requests from and cooperation with employers takes various forms. Some PES report being approached by employers interested in drawing on work subsidies or training measures to employ people under temporary protection, as well as receiving requests on the application of rules and procedures related to temporary protection status. Some PES (e.g. Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania) have organized events and activities such as job fairs to help match employers and displaced people.

Follow up

The situation and PES experiences are still evolving. PES have expressed their need for updated information, particularly on registrations at other PES and access to work. The PES Network will therefore regularly update the questionnaire as long as the PES members need it, with a focus on the statistical updates and new measures.