Nearly 6,000 Ukrainians have started working in Bulgaria since the beginning of the war
Nearly 6,000 Ukrainians have started working in Bulgaria since the start of the war in Ukraine, the Council of Ministers said. This is the highest percentage of integrated refugees whose country has not achieved in recent history.
A total of 5,600 are employed, including people who have a civil contract or are on probation.
At the peak of the crisis in Bulgaria were accommodated over 115 thousand people, and according to external data in our country live about 78 thousand.
Sergei is just leaving the Ministry of Justice. He had to prove his Bulgarian origin and hopes to obtain citizenship so that he can easily look for a job in the future. He is in Bulgaria with his wife and son.
“I have a birth certificate, which says that my father is Bulgarian and I have his birth certificate as well,” said Sergei Doizha.
The war in Ukraine forced him to find work here to support his family. Now he is making coffee and says he is happy.
Svetlana is fleeing Ukraine with her daughter. With the help of Facebook, she managed to find a job as a saleswoman in a furniture store.
“At the moment I am still studying, studying the goods, as they say in Bulgarian. “People treat me well, they tell me,” Svetlana said.
Not all refugees are lucky with Sergei and Svetlana. Olga and her 16-year-old son fled the war in Ukraine three months ago. The Labor Office offered her a job as a hotel maid or kitchen assistant. She has a university degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work.
“The Labor Bureau has documented that in order to work in my specialty and profession, I need to legalize the Ukrainian ones, but this requires time and money, costs,” said Olga Sokova.
According to the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, one of the main problems is that the work offered is especially for waiters and bartenders.
The language barrier remains the biggest obstacle to finding a job.