Abstract

In continuation of our project “Future of work” we conduct studies on the future to create better solutions for today. This year (2022) war in Ukraine led to a migration of 16M+ people (internally and externally). Most of them are women with kids. With the help of this research, we intend to create better labor market conditions for migrant Ukrainians.

The world has already witnessed both economic and social effects of the crisis, which would only deepen over time. While all the stakeholders (refugees, employers, policymakers, etc.) are struggling now, new opportunities are created for a mutually beneficial future. We wanted to observe what is or seems to be happening to Ukrainians, identify the right problems, find working solutions and help scale them.

For the study, we used the environmental scanning approach from foresight methodology. Our sources included online interviews with refugees and initiatives that support them. Findings were prioritized and clustered under 3 main topics for the program:

• Migration Policy – family under stress;
• Mobile Economy – flexible contracts;
• War Fatigue – mental support.

This research is our first step towards dialogue and incubation program. We’re inviting for the dialogue and collaboration:

• Global Businesses and Funds,
• Policymakers,
• Ukrainian businesses that have relocated to other countries,
• Volunteer organizations, NGOs and individual activists,
• Migrant women in search of work.

Key Findings

Signals Distribution

For the most part, there were social and economic challenges. Limited impact of technological and political trends was found. Ecological challenge was not found at all, perhaps, due to low attention to this factor or its insignificance.

As a result, sorting by impact and trend acceleration let us focus on 3 key topics, described in detail below.

Migration Policy – Family Under Stress

Summary

Due to the martial law in Ukraine, men 18 to 60 y.o. are not let out of the country (with few exceptions). 5.7M+ Individual refugees from Ukraine recorded across Europe as of July ‘22 and 8M+ Internally displaced (as of May’22). 90% of whom are women and children, significantly changing social demographics in Ukraine and Europe and breaking families.

Currently, almost all Ukrainians believe in the victory and plan to return as soon as possible. However, not so many people believe in a quick win, and if war continues for more than a year, they might reconsider. It especially concerns high-skilled workers and students leading to the brain drain problem. But so far most of the refugees struggle to make a living due to various factors; sometimes they return to Ukraine for this reason.

Supply / Demand gap

• Misunderstanding due to language and culture gaps;
• Safety of the women (human trafficking, sexual abuse, etc.);