Why highly skilled Ukrainians are struggling to find work in Ireland

Highly skilled Ukrainians who want to work in Ireland are being hampered by non-recognition of their qualifications and a lack of childcare, advocates say.

Doctors, architects and other professionals may therefore be forced to take less qualified roles or to remain dependent on the State because of barriers.

"Childcare is definitely a major barrier to them getting jobs," says Felix Gallager, social inclusion manager at Empower, a Finglas-based development group. It has been supporting 280 Ukrainian refugees staying at the local Travelodge and Crowne Plaza hotels.

“They have a broad range of skills – we have a gynaecologist, psychologists, GPs, a neonatal specialist as well as engineers, technology professionals, chefs, farm workers and warehouse operatives. The vast majority are women, the vast majority have children and childcare is definitely a major barrier,” says Gallagher.

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He says the problem is particularly acute in Fingal, a region which has the lowest number of childcare places in the State. While there is a huge amount of sought-after skills in the refugee group, a chronic shortage of childcare means those who get jobs may not be able to find childcare, he says.

Around 14,000 Ukrainian refugees of working age have come to Ireland so far out of a total number of more than 27,000 arrivals, according to Department of Social Protection figures. Up to 80 per cent are women or children and the majority of children are primary school age or younger. Their arrival throws into relief the struggle of many Irish parents to find affordable childcare to enable them to work.

The influx from Ukraine comes at a time when Irish employers report there isn't enough skilled labour here to meet their needs. A survey of 400 employers published by the Manpower Group in March found companies in Ireland intend to embark on their biggest hiring spree in more than 15 years this quarter. Growth is being constrained, however, by a shortage of workers. Some 72 per cent of employers are having difficulties filling vacancies, the figures showed.

'We coach Ukrainian people to make their LinkedIn profile, we do mock interviews, we help them verify their diplomas'

Katya Malinovska, a Ukrainian woman living in Ireland since 2010, volunteers to help those arriving to navigate the jobs market. The Google executive is part of a team of 10 Ukrainian and Irish people using their experience and contacts to match skilled refugees to jobs. "We coach Ukrainian people to make their LinkedIn profile, we do mock interviews, we help them verify their diplomas," says Malinovska .

She uses a channel set up on the messaging app Telegram, now comprising over 2,000 Ukrainian professionals here, to direct applicants to suitable vacancies. “What I am seeing is there is a great appetite from highly skilled people to look for jobs in Irish companies or companies that offer remote positions that can be done in Ireland,” she says.

Overqualified

Barriers to recognising their professional qualifications by Irish accrediting bodies, however, means some Ukrainians are taking roles for which they are overqualified, she says. Experienced architects are being offered roles as AutoCad technicians, for example (AutoCad is a computer application used for design).“People are super ready to start work as soon as possible, even if it is less qualified,” she says. Irish professional bodies, however, may not be recognising the potential of skilled Ukrainian professionals to bridge talent gaps. “They need to be bought into why this is a good idea. They have to understand how this can benefit them.”

Of the 27,000 Ukrainians of all ages assigned a PPS, 1,380 now have at least one job, according to recent Revenue figures. The majority of these jobs, 732, are in the accommodation and food sector, with 234 jobs in wholesale and retail.

The Irish health system will lose much sought-after medical skills to other EU countries unless the process of recognising their credentials is simplified, says Dr Nicholas Stefanovic. The Lithuanian-born, Irish-educated doctor who works at St James Hospital provides volunteer support to a group of over 200 Ukrainian doctors newly arrived here. Dentists, physiotherapists, social workers and nurses have formed other specialist groups.

Stefanovic acts as a liaison between the doctor group and the HSE, the Irish Medical Council and postgraduate training bodies. He says Ukrainian medics here are facing barriers that aren't present in other EU countries.

"A lot of other European countries such as France, Italy and Germany have already recognised Ukrainian medical qualifications for the purposes of registration. If a Ukrainian doctor went to France, they could start work there as soon as they prove a certain level of language competency. France has allowed this in English or French. In Ireland there are multiple barriers."

'We have highly qualified professionals who may have been working as obstetricians for the past 25 years being asked to go back and relearn all the basics'

In addition to documentation proving their qualifications and passing an English language exam, Ukrainian doctors here will also be required to pass a special British, American, Canadian or Australian exam . “Our closest test centre is Britain and a lot of these people would not be able to get a visa to travel to Britain,” says Stefanovic. A sitting of the Canadian exam in Ireland takes place in August, but places are limited and such exams can cost up to €2,500 to sit. If they pass the international exam, they must then sit an Irish exam, which requires doctors to study several specialities.

“We have highly qualified professionals who may have been working as obstetricians for the past 25 years being asked to go back and relearn all the basics of psychiatry and general practice in another language and at huge financial cost to them. Only if they are successful at every single stage can they seek employment,” says Stefanovic.

‘Not fit for purpose’

A working competency of English is important, he says, but support is needed in the form of funded, dedicated courses for medical professionals. “The current system is not fit for purpose. These people are traumatised from war, they may have left Ukraine very quickly. We have their skills and we need to utilise their skills,” says Stefanovic.

“If someone went to France or Italy, they could find themselves in employment very quickly. Ultimately, that will end up happening and we will lose these doctors to other EU countries and the loser is the Irish health system.”

The HSE has set up a web page where Ukrainian refugees can register their interest in working in the sector. It says the Department of Health is part of an EU Commission group examining the registration of Ukrainian health professionals arriving in EU States.

Just 19 Ukrainians have so far been employed in health and social-work roles, according to Revenue figures.

Childcare and unstable accommodation are also barriers to work, says Stefanovic. “A lot of people are in temporary accommodation and they don’t know where they will be in two months. They could move from Citywest Hotel to Monaghan. How do you organise your life when you are not geographically stable?”

Other Ukrainians have found work through employer contacts and dedicated Facebook groups. Olena Koval, an auditor at a professional services firm in Kiev, has started a similar role in the company's Dublin office. Originally from Sumy, she holds a Masters degree in management and international business and travelled to Ireland alone. "On the fifth day of the war I went to the railway station and took the first train I could get on," she says. Realising the war could continue indefinitely, she asked her company about relocation opportunities.

“I messaged HR on LinkedIn and asked about a job for Ukrainian people and they were happy to offer me a corporate audit job in Dublin.” The company paid for her hotel accommodation for three weeks. She has since found a rented house-share. “Here in Ireland, my company is happy to help Ukrainians. They ask me if I know anyone else who wants to come to Dublin,” says Koval.

Indeed, the professional services sector in Ireland is booming and has acknowledged staff shortages. Just 28 newly arrived Ukrainians are so far working in professional, scientific and technical roles, according to Revenue figures. Chartered Accountants Ireland says accountants from Ukraine can work here, but cannot automatically use the “chartered” designation. Membership queries from Ukrainians will be “viewed sympathetically”, it says.

Koval is part of a group of Ukrainians who meet weekly in Dublin. “Many people are very skilled and they have great education and Masters degrees,” she says.

Stable accommodation

She notes, however, that the lack stable accommodation is a big barrier to finding work. “Many refugees are scared to look for a job somewhere else because many of them are living in hotels somewhere in the countryside – how will they commute? Or maybe they will lose this hotel and they are scared because of those things.”

Archil Vekua, an entrepreneur with retail businesses in Kiev, found a job with Irish heating and plumbing supply business Ecopipe when the company's Romanian financial controller posted to a Facebook page dedicated to helping Ukrainians in Ireland. Georgian-born Vekua, who arrived in Ireland with his wife, daughter and mother-in-law, studied international relations at the same university as Ukraine's former prime minister, Petro Poroshenko.

Vekua speaks six languages. “Irish employers may think if you are from Ukraine, you are not educated enough or you are not qualified enough, but that is not true. We are European in our way of life and in our qualifications. Ireland can use this huge potential,” says Vekua.

Ecopipe managing director Macartan McCague says hiring Vekua has been a “win-win”. The company imports from Italy and Vekua speaks Italian. “We have a lot of customers in Ireland who would be Polish, Lithuanian or Latvian plumbers. A lot of our customers speak Russian and Archil speaks Russian, so that is going to help us,” says McCague. “He is a very impressive guy. He comes from a business background, so he understands how to run a business too. If you take on some young guy, they might be good at working behind the counter or doing stock control but they wouldn’t have Archil’s business acumen.”

'Why shouldn't people be chomping at the bit trying to hire these people who are very qualified?'

The Department of Social Protection has invited employers to register vacancies on its jobsireland.ie website. It also provides translation services at Intreo centres. McCague says the Irish business community could do more.

“The likes of ISME, all the small businesses are registered with them, so there should be an opportunity to link people up,” says McCague. “Why shouldn’t people be chomping at the bit trying to hire these people who are very qualified? Because it’s very difficult to get staff nowadays. We did something we should be doing anyway, we should be offering them jobs. We should be trying to help them. They are fleeing war.”