The Government is committed to providing emergency support to meet the immediate needs of those fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. My Department will be working alongside the Department of Social Protection and other relevant Departments in facilitating full access to the labour market for those arriving from Ukraine, as guaranteed under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.
I discussed some of these issues with businesses at a meeting of the Enterprise Forum last week. We will consider further how we can ensure those arriving can take up appropriate employment as soon as possible and that businesses are adequately informed.
As well as full labour market access, the Temporary Protection Directive guarantees rights and supports for those arriving in Ireland, including:
- Permission to reside in Ireland for a period of 1 year. This permission may be further extended after this year has elapsed.
- Social welfare income supports
- Access to education
- Access to medical care
In addition to a support centre established in Dublin Airport, three new city centre hubs to support Ukrainian nationals have been established by the Government, in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. These ‘Ukraine supports centres’, as well as a number of Intreo Centres, will assist Ukrainians in obtaining PPS numbers, in availing of social welfare income supports and receiving referrals to other State services.
The Intreo employment services are available to assist those arriving from Ukraine as they seek employment in the Irish labour market, including through skills audits and CV preparation.
A dedicated section on the Department of Social Protection’s free recruitment platform, www.jobsireland.ie , is also being developed to provide information to newly arrived Ukrainians; this will include a document of Frequently Asked Questions which will be available in English, Ukrainian and Russian. This will be advertised through social media and at the Ukraine Support Centres, while the Employment Services Officers of the Department of Social Protection will also be available to Ukrainians seeking assistance.
Employers who wish to support Ukrainians through provision of employment opportunities, which should be compliant with employment law and good practice and offer market rates of pay, should register on www.jobsireland.ie . This will enable Employment Services Officers to match the skills of those seeking employment with available work opportunities. Ukrainians seeking employment will also be able to access the service directly, to upload details of their skills and experience for matching with available employment opportunities.
It should be remembered that many of those newly arrived are traumatised and that while some have a good level of English, many others have little or none. The aim will be to match those in a position to work with jobs for which they have recognised qualifications and the language skills necessary to undertake the work.
The Department of Social Protection will be working with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and its agencies to support Ukrainian jobseekers in acquiring English language and other skillsets as necessary. My Department will also be making available enterprise supports, to facilitate those with entrepreneurial experience in re-establishing where possible businesses in Ireland.
