Businesses Looking At Ukrainian Refugees To Strengthen Their Workforce

The events that have been unfolding in Ukraine over the past month has shaken us all to the bone and hats off to everyone who has taken steps to help out or donate to help the plight of the people there, many who have had to flee their country.

A Great Deal To Offer In Terms Of Skills & Experience

There are quite a few businesses in Northern Ireland who are looking into the possibility of employing Ukrainian nationals so that they can give them an opportunity over here and also they see that many of these people have a great deal to offer in terms of skills and experience. There are many employers who have been urgently looking for new staff to strengthen their workforce.

Refugees from Ukraine who have had their visa applications processed and accepted have been granted leave to live and work in the UK for up to 3 years.

The Local Economy Is Hungry For Skilled Workers

Seamus McGranaghan, director of employment law at O’Reilly Stewart, is quoted in the Irish News about this possibility, saying:

“The local economy is hungry for skilled workers. Hospitality in particular is struggling to provide a steady flow of skilled labour into an industry that employed 34,000 people pre-Covid, and the IT sector continues to grow, providing 15 per cent of all employment vacancies with demand considerably outstripping supply.

“So with Ukraine’s proficient skill levels in both sectors, many businesses rightly see this as an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the global humanitarian aid campaign, while also addressing their pressing skillset needs.

“But companies must ensure they adopt the appropriate legal procedures and that a fair and equitable employment process is followed that is not discriminatory.

”Businesses cannot be seen to be favouring applicants from Ukraine at the expense of other candidates and they must adhere to due process.

“There are a number of initiatives that will help business navigate this, including a process known as ‘positive action’ which is allowed to help increase workplace diversity, but the details of this must be diligently followed.”

Mr McGranaghan added: “This situation is unusual, in the past refugees looking for work have mainly been men happy to work long hours but the majority of Ukrainian refugees looking for employment will be women so potential employers will have to be flexible around childcare provisions.”

Hopefully this works out well for all parties and we certainly wish the Ukrainian people all the best for now and the future.