More and more Ukrainians who have fled to the Netherlands are now also working here. The UWV has received almost 3000 reports from employers who have hired a Ukrainian and that number continues to increase.
That may not seem like the total of more than 37,000 refugees registered with municipalities on April 14. But if Ukrainians are ready to work at all, they have to jump through quite a few bureaucratic hoops first.
Officially, Ukrainians who want to work in the Netherlands no longer need a work permit from 1 April. Employers must notify the UWV if they employ a Ukrainian. Before they can work, Ukrainians need a registration with the municipality and a citizen service number (BSN). Also, most employers ask for a bank account number for the salary, although some also pay the salary in cash. It differs per municipality and per bank how long that takes.
But they are not there yet: if the Ukrainians do not have a biometric passport, they first have to go to the Ukrainian embassy. They therefore need a translation of their papers. And that while due to the current staff shortages, many sectors are desperate for new colleagues.
Traumatic experience
“Anyone who wants to come and work for us is very welcome,” says Bernard Mollink of cleaning company CSU. Since last week, two Ukrainian women who now live in The Hague have been working in a hotel in the same city. They come when called upon, because the hotels were often closed during the corona period and as a result some of the staff started looking for other work.
“These ladies speak a little English, so we can communicate with them,” says Mollink. “We ensure that they do not come under extreme work pressure. The approach is certainly slightly different with these employees, because they have had a traumatic experience.” Ukrainian women have also applied for hotels in Leiden, but they are still waiting for their bank account.
Inna Lukasevych and Julia Kravchuk are cousins, fled from Ukraine to the Netherlands and now both work for cleaning company CSU:
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‘I have to start all over’
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In the municipality of The Hague they are doing everything they can to help the Ukrainians who want to find work quickly. For example, a separate desk has been created at the town hall where Ukrainians can register to get a BSN, arrange living allowance and receive information from the UWV about job opportunities.
A meeting about work was also organized at the registration location for refugees. Interested parties were then linked to employers for a meet & greet† This mainly concerns employers in care, catering and greenhouses in the Westland.
Own language
Private organizations are also taking action to inform Ukrainians about the Dutch labor market. For example, JobOn – a volunteer organization that helps people find a job – organizes various online webinars together with Ukrainian career coaches to teach Ukrainians everything about working in the Netherlands.
“It’s nice if someone explains in their own language what steps they can take,” explains founder Pieter Vermeer. “And that they know there are shortages in some industries.”
The Ukrainians themselves can ask questions during the seminars. About employment contracts, for example, and whether it is better for them to learn Dutch or English. But nothing has to be done, emphasizes Vermeer. “We always start with: ‘you don’t have to work, first land. It’s purely when you’re ready, then go orientate.”
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