Background information

Local organisations (at municipal level) organised a job fair specifically targeted at Ukrainian refugees to support them in finding employment on the Belgian labour market. The initiative was launched because of the significant amount of open vacancies within several local companies combined with an increasing amount of Ukrainian refugees that are willing to find work locally now that they have been here for a longer period of time.

Content of measure

A job fair was launched on 02 February 2023 within the city of Geel by several local organisation that are competent for receiving Ukrainian refugees within the region (as this is generally organised at the municipal level).

Several organisation collaborated to organise the fair, including the Flemish PES (VDAB), employers' association Voka, organisations involved in training and temporary agency work as well as the federal services for integration.

The main goal was to provide information for the refugees that are looking for jobs as well as bring them into contact with companies that are open to hire them (and quite often already employ people with a foreign background).

Use of measure

In total, several local companies from a wide range of sectors participated as well as around 150 refugees.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Applies to all businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Local / regional government	Local funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Not applicable	Unknown

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

Employers' association VOKA attended and supported the initiative, in particular with regards to support for the companies attending as well as training.

Views and reactions

VOKA was satisfied with the initiative as well as the number of attendants.

Sources

• 02 February 2023: Jobdag voor Oekraïense werkzoekenden (www.geel.be)