Faced with sewing machines, the Ukrainian refugees are busy. Careful not to lose the thread, symbol of the return to normal life. “They are very motivated and extremely courageous”, is astonished, admiring, Louise Manière. In mid-April, the communication officer for the Altaïr group took part in this sewing test session organized by the integration company, with the aim of recruiting Ukrainian refugees.
Of the twenty or so participants, twelve will be hired on fixed-term contracts for seamstress and green space maintenance positions. Without understanding, or almost, a word of French. “As an integration company, we are used to working with refugeesexplains Louise Manière. We have guides and they are going to take language lessons. »
According to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, by April 21, nearly 50,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war had reached France. The men having been requisitioned, it was mainly women and children who found refuge on French soil. Employers quickly opened their arms to them.
In response to the initiative “Lcompanies are committed launched by the government, more than 600 companies have come forward on the platform, with “ 7,000 job offers »mainly in the strained hotel and catering sector, said on 1er April, the Minister of Labour, Elisabeth Borne. In mid-March, Adecco launched a recruitment platform with a European dimension dedicated to connecting Ukrainians with employers. As of April 26, 4,000 refugees and 1,300 businesses have already registered.
“Most want to be active”
Although these women arrived in France recently, often disoriented and with dependent children, “it’s not too early to talk about employmentclaims Lydia Meyronnet, president of the Care 4 Ukraine association. Most want to be active, to work”.
A third of the Ukrainian women followed by the association have already found work in France. In the commune of Potigny (Calvados), in Normandy, a strawberry producer, who was looking for seasonal workers for his harvest, took advantage of this welcome workforce. The humanitarian association Care 4 Ukraine worked hand in hand with the town hall, which set up two habitats free of charge and without time limit.
Of Slavic origin, these refugees also have for them “a hardworking reputation”, adds, not without irony, Lydia Meyronnet. Since April 2, Ukrainians have also been exempted from applying for a work permit in France, which greatly simplifies the process of recruiting them.
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