8,500 unemployed people in 13 regions are involved in performing community service within the framework of the Army of Recovery project. This was announced by First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko.

“The Army of Recovery project, aimed at engaging people who have temporarily lost their jobs in community service to rebuild the country, is gaining popularity. Today, it is being implemented in 13 regions, with Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv regions joining the project recently. Since the beginning of this year alone, 4,900 unemployed people have been engaged in community service, and a total of 8,500 people have been involved since the project was launched. They are paid at least UAH 6,700 for their work, which is higher than the average unemployment benefit. The state has already paid nearly UAH 56 million to members of the Army of Recovery for the work they have performed,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The top regions in terms of the number of unemployed people engaged in community service are:

• Poltava region – 2,621 people involved;
• Donetsk region – 1,350 people;
• Kyiv region – 1,193 people;
• Sumy region – 1,179 people.

The types of public works depend on the needs of a particular region. Most often, people are involved in:

• construction of civil defense structures, strengthening of dams;
• unloading and packing humanitarian aid;
• providing social services at the Points of Invincibility;
• dismantling rubble and restoring residential buildings and premises damaged as a result of hostilities;
• arranging and reinforcing checkpoints and basements for shelters;
• clearing railroad tracks and highways;
• procurement of firewood for the military and the public.

In 2023, the budget of the Mandatory State Unemployment Insurance Fund envisages UAH 104 million to organize community service.

As a reminder, the Army of Recovery project was launched by the Government in the fall of 2022 to engage people who temporarily lost their jobs in rebuilding the country through community service. The unemployed sign fixed-term employment contracts for the period of performance of the work, with a pay of at least UAH 6,700, which can be financed from local budgets or at the expense of clients of such work.