Ukrainians looking for work. But who needs us? / Script

Article in Ukrainian – here.
Article in Russian – here.

I worked at the first place for half a year, then I left the job. The reasons were different, but I am a salaried employee, so I have no complaints against the employer. Except for one, and not only in this case (everything happened again at the next place of work): a delay in the calculation after leaving work for several months. My colleague and I, who is also from Ukraine, were helped by the lawyers of the public organizations “I want to help refugees” and “Shelter “Safe House””, and it was very good that we had employment contracts.

As far as I know, our case is not the only one.

No matter where Ukrainians find work, it is still a small and medium-sized business,

and be very precise and thorough when signing the employment contract. And do not whine about poor language skills, almost all of us have completed the minimum language courses, there are machine translators on the Internet, but if in doubt, it is better to turn to consultants in public organizations that specialize in working with citizens of third countries.

But I will not even talk about “employment” without a contract, crooks have no nationality.

By the way, the case with the payment delay had one plus: it turned out to be instructive. I think that it would not be bad to include lessons on mutual relations between employee and employer in Latvia and distribute a brochure on typical labor disputes in the integration courses. Where and how to apply, what should be the standard contract, application in different instances, what is the procedure for handling the dispute, personal responsibility. Now I already know about the State Labor Inspectorate (which, according to my impression, employers are not particularly afraid of), claims in court, free legal assistance.

In general, 35% of able-bodied Ukrainian refugees, or about 9,000 people, have found work in Latvia, according to the data of the State Revenue Service. Is it a lot or a little? From a statistical point of view, of course, not much. Then the next question arises – what is the reason?

Why do Ukrainians who need to earn money, who stand out for their love of work and responsibility, not get a job in Latvia?

Because, no matter how banal it is, money is needed to eat, dress, rent an apartment, buy what is needed for the children, as well as sometimes go to a cafe.

Here are some answers that are confirmed by personal observations.

Remote work. I know logistics and accounting specialists who continue to cooperate with Ukrainian and international companies. Most often, they are paid by piecework, so, for example, the recent blocking of the border between Ukraine and Poland had a rather painful effect on their income. Or information technology product developers, designers, social media marketing and other digital services specialists.

They are in no way tied to the country they are staying in, neither by language nor geography.

Another explanation – people receive income from assets that have remained in Ukraine: business, real estate rental, help from relatives. Taxes are most likely not paid in Latvia, but the money earned is spent here, which undoubtedly benefits the Latvian economy.

If someone found a job in Latvia quite soon, it is medical workers: doctors, nurses, laboratory assistants, but the state thus covered a certain shortage of personnel in this field. Pharmacies, drug wholesalers and medical institutions can hire doctors and pharmacists from Ukraine if they are able to provide them with the necessary communication for professional activity (for example, with the help of an interpreter), as provided by the Law on the Support of Civilians of Ukraine.

Ukrainian women specializing in the “beauty industry” have also found work: hairstyles, hair coloring, manicure, pedicure (I would even say that they brought some new trends in this field),

as well as taxi and commercial transport drivers. And what about the others – economists, lawyers, engineers, musicians? Trying to settle into the local labor market through trial and error.

In addition to the already mentioned vacancy resources, there is, for example, the “Telegram” channel “Jobs for refugees in Latvia”. If you are not lucky enough to be an information technology specialist, please, right here on the channel, low-skilled work is offered in woodworking, fish and meat processing, construction and other companies, as kitchen or hotel assistants…

The pay is low, the work is hard, but the offer is there.

Sometimes fraudulent ads about how to get rich in a short time creep into the channel, but the administrators promptly fight against them. But if someone does notice that they are caught, then as they say: “Дурнив не сиють, не орють, а вной сами родяться.” (“Don’t bring fools, don’t see them, but they are born themselves” – Ukrainian)

The shortage of highly qualified professionals in computer science and communications, engineers, as well as specialists with secondary professional education is increasing in the Latvian labor market, according to the report prepared by the Latvian Ministry of Economy. However, experienced and highly qualified technologists from Ukraine can hardly find a job in their specialty. The problems are understandable – language, terminology, diploma and qualification recognition.

I have an acquaintance, Lana, who has worked for ten years in the largest Ukrainian water supply and sewage company, a water supply engineer. I am currently studying the Latvian language more intensively and would really like to work in this industry again. However, “Rīgas udes” only hires people with language skills at the C1 level, as do other organizations in this field. Will she have the perseverance, time, but above all, the financial means to achieve her goal?

Maybe such specialists should be selected and trained separately, accelerated? If, of course, they are needed by the national economy of Latvia.

According to Latvian economists, 100,000 workers are needed to revive the national economy today. Every year more and more migrant workers are brought in, mainly from India and Uzbekistan. And probably about 20,000 able-bodied Ukrainians are unable to fundamentally change the situation in Latvia. However, they are able to be fully represented in the labor market due to the fact that they come from a similar civilization, have a similar mentality, high qualifications and work culture.