41% of Ukrainian migrant workers work illegally in Europe – expert
According to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration, 21% of Ukrainian citizens are ready to agree to work abroad.
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This was stated in a comment to the UNN agency by the organization's representative, labor migration expert Varvara Zhluktenko.
“The study was conducted as of February-March 2015, then 516 people worked abroad, of which 000% worked without proper status registration, that is, illegally,” she said.
The latest IOM data for the first half of 2015 show that the number of Ukrainian labor migrants who were working abroad at the time of the study is 5,4% of the total working-age population of the country, and in 2011 this figure was 5,5%. However, it is significant that the share of migrant workers working unofficially almost doubled over the corresponding period - from 27,6% to 40,5%.
Varvara Zhluktenko says that there are a number of programs of the International Organization for Migration with funding from the EU to help internally displaced persons, including assistance in creating small businesses.
For example, an information web portal www.migrant.info.pl has been created for Ukrainian migrants in Poland.
Varvara Zhluktenko emphasized that EU programs are aimed at stopping the flow of labor migrants and ensuring a certain stability in the neighboring state. After all, the visa mechanism is more effective in trying to stop labor flows from Ukraine.
At the same time, the expert added that the IOM can advise the Ukrainian authorities to create more jobs in the country, but the implementation of such recommendations in the current conditions is unrealistic.
“The only thing that can be done for this is to create jobs on the territory of the state, with competitive salaries, social packages and other attractive aspects that would force us to consider employment in our country as a priority. But now it would be somewhat strange to give such advice,” she concluded.
English version :: Read in English: 41% of Ukrainian migrant workers work in Europe illegally – expert