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 launched a questionnaire to collect information from PES.

 The full overview with footnotes and the questionnaire is available for download.

One year of continuous PES support led to increased employment in almost all reporting countries

The number of persons in employment has increased for all reporting countries compared with the last questionnaire in November 2022. This confirms the direction indicated in the latest questionnaires.

Figures reported by 25 PES indicate that more than 1 300 000 people displaced from Ukraine were in employment in these countries in February 2023. 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.

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

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

The number of registered displaced people from Ukraine is relatively stable at most PES

In the February survey, on an aggregated level, the number of persons registered at PES amounts to more than 353 000 registrations (at the 28 PES that have reported on this question). More than 50 percent of these registrations are reported from Germany. Overall, PES reported about 3 000 more registered unemployed persons displaced from Ukraine compared to the questionnaire in November.

Public Employment Services take an innovative approach

Most PES continue to draw predominantly on existing Active Labour Market Policies to support people from Ukraine to integrate in the labour market. PES highlight some new initiatives and the targeting of existing programme to support persons displaced from Ukraine.

The French PES Pôle Emploi’s programme “Les Entreprises S’engagent” (“Companies get involved”) which aims at highlighting the role of companies in the building of a more inclusive society and helping firms to roll out a sustainable, local, supportive economy, offers now an interface where firms can fill a form to be contacted by Pôle emploi about procedures to hire people displaced from Ukraine.

In Belgium it is now possible for any jobseeker registered at FOREM to test two or more jobs before deciding which training to follow or which job to choose, via access to the existing job trial programme. This could reduce the risk of over overqualification, where many have been ready to accept any job rather than waiting for the right job given the uncertainty regarding the length of stay.

Language barriers remain a major concern

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.

Skills assessment and recognition of qualification of utmost importance

Assessments of skills and recognition of qualifications is another high priority. Professional recognition, however, is reportedly as being often lengthy.  To speed up this process, some countries, for example Poland and Latvia, have waived some standard qualification requirements in areas like teaching and healthcare for displaced people from Ukraine. Spain is installing fast-track assessment for medical qualifications