4 October 2022 Dear Colleague, As millions of displaced Ukrainians have found shelter in European countries, the new arrivals are finding work more rapidly than previous refugee cohorts. Yet many may be prioritising any job over the one that best matches their skills. While this might represent a rational short-term strategy given uncertainty over how long they will stay and difficulty getting credentials recognised, among other hurdles, it nonetheless entails a waste of skills that could otherwise be used to address pressing European labour needs. A Migration Policy Institute Europe commentary out today examines how innovative solutions that draw on past integration experiences to build skills alongside work could help Ukrainians access quality employment and unlock their potential to fill labour shortages. ‘At first glance, the newcomers offer significant potential for addressing some of Europe’s labour shortages’, Maria Vincenza Desiderio and Kate Hooper write. ‘Pre-war surveys in Ukraine revealed a highly educated population, with experience in high-priority sectors for Europe such as tech, hospitality, health care, social services, and education’. Yet despite these favourable circumstances, matching displaced Ukrainians with European job openings is not straightforward. Just 50 percent to 60 percent of all beneficiaries of the Temporary Protection Directive are working age. And among the working population, high shares of women are single parenting while their husbands fight in Ukraine. Access to affordable child care is thus key for helping these newcomers enter the labour market, the commentary notes, alongside addressing other barriers such as limited destination-country language proficiency and trauma. The commentary, which draws from a forthcoming MPI Europe report, offers several other recommendations for policymakers. You can find the commentary, which is part of the work done by MPI Europe’s Integration Futures Working Group, here: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/european-labor-market-integration-displaced-ukrainians. Sincerely, Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications
MPI Europe | 
