Skip to content
Accessibility

Estonia to help Ukraine rebuild labour market

Uudis

ESTDEV, Töötukassa, SES kohtumine
The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the State Employment Service of Ukraine (SES) will rebuild and modernise the Ukrainian labour market.

On Monday, the heads of the three organisations met to discuss the wishes and needs of Ukraine. 

Between May and October, Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund staff will visit Ukraine, and their Ukrainian counterparts will visit Estonia. These two study visits will initiate the process of setting up information systems and provide training on assessing work ability and counselling the unemployed.

According to Yuliya Zhovtyak, director of the State Employment Service of Ukraine, the process of assessing work ability and helping those with limited work ability enter the labour market is particularly important to Ukraine. "We are pleased that Estonia is our partner in this project, helping implement new initiatives in Ukraine. Continued cooperation in work ability assessment and IT system implementation is crucial for SES," Zhovtyak said. 

As the European Union has opened accession negotiations with Ukraine, it has become necessary for Ukraine to align its labour market legislation with the EU's. Familiarity with the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund means the State Employment Service of Ukraine is open to learning from the Estonian experience.

Klen Jäärats, ESTDEV’s executive director, said this is the experience Ukraine needs. "ESTDEV, as a centre for development cooperation, aims to initiate and finance such projects by finding the best experts and institutions in Estonia with fresh and relevant reform experience from the period of EU accession and adapting it to the Ukrainian context," said Jäärats.

Meelis Paavel, chairman of the board at the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, said that years ago, Estonia needed assistance and is now happy to help others. "These focus areas reflect our ambition to assist Ukraine in making the necessary innovations and provide an opportunity for both countries to learn from each other and improve the functioning of the labour market," Paavel said.

Over a six-month period, more than 20 Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund specialists and external experts will share their experience and knowledge at 17 different seminars—14 in Kyiv and three in Tallinn.