A new digital platform looks at helping Ukrainian refugees train, find jobs, and easily integrate into the Moldovan labour market.

The novelty of the platform is its use of proximity markers, so that potential candidates are alerted of job opportunities near their place of residence. This is important as many refugees live in Balti, Cahul, Edinet, Comrat and other districts, while most of the advertised opportunities on similar websites are concentrated in the capital city.

The platform, to be developed by Ixobit, a Moldovan IT company that partnered with Forta Vitala and Faclia NGOs, is funded with about US$40,000 by UNDP through its programme Accelerating digital transformation in the public sector in the Republic of Moldova. The platform will be based on open-source technology provided by the Digital Public Good Alliance and will be made available in early 2023.

UNDP supports the socio-economic inclusion of refugees from Ukraine in Moldovan society and economy. As a strategic partner of the National Employment Authority, UNDP helps strengthen efforts to deliver job search services to Ukrainian refugees including information (through job fairs), counseling, referral and mediation services on the labour market, as well as facilitating skills recognition.

Vocational education and training courses provided 60 refugees with new expertise in the field of beauty industry, culinary arts, bartending, tailoring, and IT. All refugees received an allowance of about $115.

UNDP also engages with the private sector to create job opportunities for refugees. Private enterprises from Strășeni, Palanca, and Edineț dealing in sports, food, and interior design provide training and employment opportunities within their companies.

Through an EU-UNDP initiative, Ukrainian refugees are encouraged to make the most of job opportunities in the ICT sector. About 200 refugees from Balti and Găgăuzia region are set to learn accounting, data management, graphic design, and basic computer skills, as well as short-term courses on the Romanian language to be able to access job opportunities and socially integrate in their host communities.

With support provided by UNDP to Bloomcoding, a digital platform expanded to Ukrainian children refugees, 150 Ukrainian refugees will be employed as first-time coding teachers on the platform, after benefiting from on-the-job tech training. 

From the beginning of the war, UNDP has been working closely with the UN entities and other humanitarian stakeholders to meet specific needs in Moldova caused by the impact of the war in Ukraine. This work is aligned with the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP), which outlines the comprehensive response and activities needed to support countries’ efforts to protect and assist refugees coming from Ukraine.