Jenny Holt
The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament has rubber
stamped a decision by the European Union to enter an informal deal with Ukraine
for visa free travel throughout the EU. Ireland and the United Kingdom will be
the only exceptions to this. The bureaucratic system is not finished because
the European Parliament as a whole and the European Council need to approve
this decision, but it means Ukraine will shortly join Georgia as one of only a
few countries allowed to undertake visa free travel to the EU schengen area.
A Reward for
the 2013 Protests
During the pro-European and pro-liberty demonstrations in 2013 across
Ukraine, but especially in Kyiv, one of the principle demands
of protestors was for visa
free travel for Ukrainians across Europe. This will allow Ukrainians to travel
to the EU for 90 days within any 180 day period without needing a visa. Their
activities will be limited to tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and
business, but not for work purposes. It is a vital first step for
How Ukrainians
can Improve Their Chances of Being Employed
The change in visa regimes is expected to lead to an expansion in the
number of Ukrainians seeking to enter the EU jobs market. This comes despite
the new relaxed regulations ruling out visa free employment. This means some
may enter the black market while others will attempt to find work and gain work
visas once in a country.
For those seeking to gain employment within the EU it is advised to
research a country carefully. Each one has their own employment rules, laws,
culture, and language. Resumes should be translated into the native language
and focused upon the jobs
being applied for. This needs to
include clear abilities, keywords, and experiences while keeping it short and
crisp. While growth in the Eurozone remains sluggish, there are job shortages
in certain sectors which will be attractive to Ukrainians.
Ukrainians
Pushing for Work Opportunities
The formal unemployment
rate in Ukraine rose to 10% at
the end of 2016. This rate has not dipped below 8% in the last 4 years. This
means there is a sizeable number of people willing to move to try and find
gainful employment elsewhere. While the Ukraine does have unemployment
benefits, they are not high. At the moment, the self-employed voluntarily
contribute to the State Social Security Fund in Case of Unemployment while
employees pay 0.6% and employers pay 1.6% of wages. Once unemployed, and if
registered to an employment office, an individual will receive 50% of the
national average wage if they have 2 to 6 years work experience, 55% if they
have between 6 and 10 years experience, and more if they have worked over 10
years. As benefits are sub-optimal and jobs pay less in Ukraine than in
neighbouring states, the newly opened European Union area will be an attractive
market.
No comments:
Post a Comment