Efforts of all parties to social dialogue should be directed towards overcoming unemployment in Ukraine: Yuliia Svyrydenko

Effective social dialogue is important in overcoming the problem of unemployment, and the efforts of all parties should be directed to solving it now. This was stated by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko during an online meeting with European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit.

“One of the important issues we are currently focusing on is overcoming unemployment in Ukraine. By the end of this year, we expect the unemployment rate to fall to 19%, which is still quite high. The Government has introduced a number of programmes to improve the labour market situation, including grant programmes for entrepreneurs and those who wish to start their own business, where the main condition for receiving the grant is the creation of new jobs. We also have training and retraining programmes to help people acquire a more in-demand profession. We believe that all parties to the social dialogue – employers, trade unions and government authorities – should join forces to solve the unemployment problem,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the preparation of the Ukraine Plan within the framework of the EU’s Ukraine Facility programme, an important aspect of which is social dialogue; the prospects for reform of labour legislation and support from Western partners for bringing domestic legislation up to modern standards; and the forthcoming visit of the European Trade Union Confederation delegation to Kyiv.