Numerous economic agents and public institutions offered more than 3000 jobs during job fairs conducted during October – December 2022 in Bălți, Cahul, Căușeni and Ungheni. The events were organised by the National Employment Agency (NEA) and its local offices, in partnership with the initiative “Mayors for EconomicGrowth”, funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Men and women from the Republic of Moldova, as well as many refugees from Ukraine attended these fairs. Potential employers have prepared for them information materials in Ukrainian language and a series of socio-economic integration activities.

Employers’ offers were presented at the fairs. The events included discussions and negotiations with entrepreneurs, as well as presentations of opportunities to start businesses and educational offers at the local level. Policy dialogues and practical exercises for writing a CV and presenting at a job interview have also been conducted.

One of the participants at the job fair in Bălți, Ana, who is a refugee from Ukraine, is working at an oil production factory. Ana came to the fair with two other refugees who had been looking for a job for several months.

“[My acquaintances] hope to find a job here at this fair. That’s why I think this fair is very important. I believe that anyone who wants a job will find it here. The most important thing is to try and everything will be fine,” says Ana.

Raisa Dogaru, director of the National Employment Agency, welcomed the partnership with the EU and UNDP is convinced that such events are extremely important both for job seekers and for employers: “Employers are available, they are open to such events and appreciate them, because they are looking for work force and have the opportunity to identify potential employees, to talk with them, to negotiate, to find out the existing trends in the labour market”.

“These events are part of the assistance we provide to refugees and host communities. We aim to support the socio-economic inclusion of people who have fled war to the neighbouring country. That’s why we rely on the partnership with the National Employment Agency and organised these fairs at the local level. They promote jobs for both men and women in our country as well as for refugees,” said Valentin Croitoru, Project Coordinator, “Mayors for Economic Growth” initiative.

Under the EU-UNDP initiative “Mayors for Economic Growth”, refugees from Ukraine are encouraged to take advantage of the employment opportunities offered by the IT sector. Around 200 refugees in Bălți and Găgăuzia region will attend IT courses as well as short-term Romanian language courses to easier access employment opportunities and integrate into their host communities.

Recently the initiative announced a grants competition for host communities to support crisis response and recovery efforts.

As a strategic partner of the National Employment Agency, UNDP contributes to the strengthening of service delivery efforts for Ukrainian refugees seeking employment, through information activities (including job fairs), labour market counselling, referral and mediation services and the promotion of skills recognition.