More than 45 major UK businesses have said are willing to offer jobs to Ukrainian refugees when they arrive in the country. Companies including M&S, Asos and Lush are calling for the government to make it easier for Ukrainians to come to the UK after their handling of the refugee crisis.
British entrepreneur Emma Sinclair, chief executive of Enterprise Alumni is leading the initiative, with the aim of helping "tens of thousands" of refugees not only get a job, but find accommodation and gain language skills. Britain is experiencing a labour shortage brought on by Covid and Brexit, and while it is in their best interests to fill outstanding vacancies, Ms Sinclair said the initiative is "purely altruistic".
Ms Sinclair told the BBC : "The companies involved, especially the recruitment firms, have got thousands of jobs to fill every day of the week - this is not a new situation for them. People are inherently generally good, and people want to help."
She is due to meet with newly appointed Minister for Refugees Richard Harrington on Monday.
"We [businesses] want people, we need people, and we want to help," she said. "We want to see movement on rising numbers of refugees."
The current focus is to help refugees from Ukraine rebuild their lives, but she hopes the scheme can be extended to all refugees. A government spokesperson said: "We are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians which is why we've made it easier for those with valid Ukrainian passports to come here. This is alongside changes to visas to ensure Ukrainians in the UK can stay here.
"We have expanded our visa application capacity to 13,000 a week, deployed additional staff across the EU, with a 24/7 helpline in place to ensure those who need appointments can get them to come here. This allows us to balance security risks while welcoming those in need".
Marks & Spencer said they are "absolutely committed to supporting Ukrainian refugees" both through jobs and humanitarian schemes. "We are in discussion with the Home Office about the detail of this," it said.
Asos which is also involved in the initiative said: "We are currently recruiting for many tech engineering roles in the UK and we know Ukraine has a strong skill set in this area. We are also working with our partners to explore opportunities at our distribution centres in the UK and elsewhere in Europe."
The company expects the number of positions to be in the double digits in the UK, but added that the business already has a Ukrainian workforce in Poland with opportunities for newly arrived refugees. Cosmetics company Lush said it is "happy to consider refugees for any role, even those we would usually advertise for internal candidates only". The company's recruiters are meeting with the Refugee Council charity next week to "share what potential opportunities there are across the business".
Chief executive of recruitment company Robert Walters, Toby Fowlston said they were "committed to hiring displaced Ukrainians into our own business and as a recruitment company we will also represent them as potential employees to our clients. We will need government support to help expedite working visas to ensure we can act quickly".
Refugees at Home co-founder Sara Nathan said the charity is ready to help the companies place refugees in accommodation. Companies not linked to the initiative including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and the Co-op have contacted the home office to say they are willing to offer refugees jobs.
Aldi also announced it has over 8,000 roles available and would welcome applications from Ukrainian refugees, subject to their eligibility for UK employment. The vacancies span a wide range of roles including Assistant Store Manager, Store Assistant, Stock Assistant, Selector, Logistics Assistant, as well as other office-based administration roles.
Aldi has over 950 stores, where most of its vacancies are available, and 11 regional distribution centres serving all parts of the UK. The supermarket is in discussions with the government to find the best way to secure employment for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Kelly Stokes, Recruitment Director, at Aldi UK said: "We stand by the people of Ukraine and want to offer employment opportunities for those seeking refuge in the UK. By working with the government, partners and other employers, we hope to help as many people as possible and provide much-needed stability and security in their lives."
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
