The World Employment Confederation (WEC) is deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine and calls for all measures to be taken to bring back peace to the region. On this page, WEC gathered useful resources aimed at supporting its members and the wider recruitment and employment industry through this difficult time.
Over one million Ukrainians refugees have now fled conflict areas and need to find work at short notice to be able to settle in their temporary new location. We are compiling here some dedicated platforms that have been set up by the private employment services industry to provide humanitarian and employment support to displaced people.
Polskie Forum HR Ukraine Resource hub
ABU leaflet with information for Ukrainian refugees about working through an employment agency (available in NL, EN, OEK and RU)
In situations of massive migration movements, unlawful private employment services may try to take advantage of the situation and put refugees in vulnerable situations, indebted and exposed to forced and bonded labour.
Such practices are intolerable and in total breach of WEC’s Code of Conduct. Members of the World Employment Confederation are prescribed to adhere to this Code, which contains 10 Principles that ethical, quality and professional private employment services should deploy in the provision of their services. WEC’s Code of Conduct is informed by the International Labour Organisation’s Fundamental Rights and Principles at work, international labour standards such as the ILO Convention 181 on private employment services, and guidance on Business and Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility.
These principles include:
Prohibition to use forced or bonded labour, human trafficking and child labour
No fees or costs to jobseekers and workers should be charged directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, for the services directly related to temporary assignment or permanent placement)
Workers should be given details of their working conditions, the nature of the work to be undertaken, rates of pay and pay arrangements and working hours in a language they understand
Workers should not be required to provide a monetary deposit or other collateral as a condition of employment and should not see their identification cards, passports or other residency papers, or other personal belongings being withheld.
Should any concerns around employment practises put in place towards Ukrainian refugees arise, the World Employment Confederation advises to contact the National staffing Federation in the country concerned. National Federations have the expertise on the local legal requirements for employment and have often developed their own, additional quality standards.
WEC & WEC members
BAP Statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Message in response to the war in Ukraine
International and European authorities
Find out more about the responses from international and European authorities.
