RTL’s Monica Camposeo spoke to two Ukrainians who are currently looking for work with the help ADEM.
Vladimir Kozyrev is a professional trader who has years of experience working for banks in the USA, Chile, and Ukraine. He now hopes to continue working in the financial sector here in Luxembourg. He already filed 60 applications this month and is optimistic that his English skills will be sufficient to work in the financial sector.
ADEM’s Mario della Schiava, who is in charge of applications, stressed that the language barrier is not to be underestimated. Around 50% of Ukrainians registered with ADEM speak English. In order to help those who only speak Ukrainian or Russian, the Agency is relying on consultants.
Another hurdle in the process is that diplomas have to be certified before people can work in their respective fields of expertise. 70% of the 200 Ukrainians registered with ADEM have a university degree, noted della Schiava.
Olga Pavlyuk used to work in marketing and would have loved to continue in this sector here in Luxembourg. However, she does not know enough about the local market and therefore chose to look for other jobs in the meantime.
She explained: “Finding work it the first step for me. I have lost everything and need to start all over again. I lost my business, my home, and my health due to the stress. That is why I now need employment, no matter what it is.”
Since the first Ukrainians arrived in Luxembourg, a number of local businesses have offered positions at ADEM, explained Laurent Peusch, who is in charge of employers’ services. Finance, IT, and gastronomy are the sectors with the greatest demand.
ADEM officials underlined that every applicant is treated equally, with everyone having access to languages courses and trainings. Both Vladimir and Olga have already taken up the offer, as they expect to stay in the Grand Duchy for a long time.
“It will certainly be of help for me to learn French and Luxembourgish. Yesterday I had my my first French lessons at the University in Belval”, explained Vladimir.
Olga is similarly determined to build a new life in Luxembourg: “I am certain that things are not going to change in my country, they may only turn for the worse. It will take a very long time to rebuild everything that was destroyed.”
