Guidance for European Companies on Hiring Refugees From Ukraine
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, millions of Ukrainians have fled their home country. This mass exodus of people is one the fastest forced displacement crises in history and the largest since the Second World War. Almost two years later, European countries west of Ukraine host 4-5 million Ukrainian refugees, with Germany and Poland hosting the most.
To enable Member States to move rapidly to offer protection and rights to people fleeing Ukraine, the European Union (EU) activated the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) on 4 March 2022. It grants individuals immediate protection, as well as access to housing, employment, medical care, education, and more for up to three years.
This resource provides potential employers with applicable information about the rights Ukrainian refugees have to work in several European countries. Currently, localised TPD guidance is available for France, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and more. Additionally, local guidance is included for the UK around its alternate national protection schemes.
This guide includes:
- A general overview of the EU’s TPD, including the rights it offers, to whom, and for how long.
- Information about how individual EU Member States have applied the directive, as well as how the UK’s alternative national protection schemes work.
- What employers need to know about the legalities of hiring Ukrainian refugees.
This guide is a collaboration between the Tent Partnership for Refugees and DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.