Local employment partnerships
ILO single biggest project in sub-region supports job creation in Ukraine
The ILO launched its new programme to establish local partnerships of employers, schools, employment services, government agencies, social partners and civil society to address their employment needs.
4 July 2018
In Ukraine jobs are scarce and disproportionally more so for youth, women and people living in rural areas. A high percentage of Ukrainians hold informal or undeclared jobs; 25 per cent of the GDP is made up of the informal economy. 1.5 million young people are neither in employment nor in education (NEET). The skills mismatch is also a challenge for youth, many of them are overqualified for their work. About 5.8 million Ukrainians live abroad and combined with an ageing society, some sectors struggle with a severe lack of skilled labour. Minimum and average monthly wages are low (117 USD and 200 USD, respectively). Consequently, living conditions still do not measure up to an acceptable standard.
The ILO devised a 5-year programme to create inclusive employment opportunities in the country. The Government of Denmark funds the programme from the Danish Neighbourhood Programme (DANEP) in the amount of 8.6 Mio USD, which makes it the single biggest ILO intervention in the sub- region. The project hinges on the development of local networks and partnerships as they are in the best position to address the employment challenges of their own communities.
The project was launched on 3 July, 2018 in Kyiv. Mr Andriy Reva, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Mr Ruben Madsen, Ambassador of Denmark and Mr Heinz Koller, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia participated in the event together with government delegates, Employers’ and Workers’ organisations and the newly recruited project team. In his opening remarks, Minister Reva stressed that it is not money that the country needs in the first place—it needs high-level expertise that can be applied to improving labour market policies in Ukraine.
Heinz Koller explained the role of the ILO in the project: „The ILO will bring on board its institutional expertise on entrepreneurship promotion, skills development, local employment partnerships, and social dialogue. The project will also bring on board the Danish social partners and make available their expertise for social partners in Ukraine.” In conclusion, he added: “One of the main messages from today’s event is that employment and labour market are joint concern of not only of the employment service, but also of education, employers, governments and social partners.”
The ILO devised a 5-year programme to create inclusive employment opportunities in the country. The Government of Denmark funds the programme from the Danish Neighbourhood Programme (DANEP) in the amount of 8.6 Mio USD, which makes it the single biggest ILO intervention in the sub- region. The project hinges on the development of local networks and partnerships as they are in the best position to address the employment challenges of their own communities.
The project was launched on 3 July, 2018 in Kyiv. Mr Andriy Reva, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Mr Ruben Madsen, Ambassador of Denmark and Mr Heinz Koller, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia participated in the event together with government delegates, Employers’ and Workers’ organisations and the newly recruited project team. In his opening remarks, Minister Reva stressed that it is not money that the country needs in the first place—it needs high-level expertise that can be applied to improving labour market policies in Ukraine.
Heinz Koller explained the role of the ILO in the project: „The ILO will bring on board its institutional expertise on entrepreneurship promotion, skills development, local employment partnerships, and social dialogue. The project will also bring on board the Danish social partners and make available their expertise for social partners in Ukraine.” In conclusion, he added: “One of the main messages from today’s event is that employment and labour market are joint concern of not only of the employment service, but also of education, employers, governments and social partners.”