Integration of veterans into the labor market is key to economic development. The Ukrainian Veterans Foundation participated in a meeting with leading Ukrainian employers. The participants discussed current needs and challenges in the employment of veterans.
The event, initiated by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs with the support of Work.ua, brought together about 100 participants. Among the attendees were representatives of HR, HRD, and heads of Ukrainian national and international companies. There were also those who are already working or planning to employ veterans or provide retraining and employment opportunities.
Karina Doroshenko, Deputy Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, presented important aspects and challenges in the issue of employment based on the Foundation’s research:
30.95% of veterans who are not currently serving in the Ukrainian Defense Forces have faced unemployment. Veterans are trying to integrate into a variety of employment sectors, with the most common being self-employment (8.31%), civil service (7.45%), services (5.44%), IT (4.3%), and the public sector (4.3%). These data show a wide range of interests and competencies among veterans, as well as their desire to find applications for their skills in civilian life.
The problem of unemployment among veterans in Ukraine requires consolidated efforts to create conditions for effective integration of veterans into the labor market. Therefore, the meeting was an important component of establishing a dialogue and cooperation between the state and business on the issue of veterans’ employment and adaptation.
As for the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, it is working on developing tools to support the employment of veterans with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. And on February 13, we will present the full results of the survey “Current needs and vision of opportunities for career and professional growth of veterans in Ukraine”, which will be useful for both employers and those who work with veterans.
