On opening hearings, the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Koshulynskyi stressed the importance and topicality of holding hearings. He noted that labour migration, which is a world-wide process, has gained features of “national phenomenon” in Ukraine.
R.Koshulynskyi noted that there is a tendency towards decreasing the number of emigrants from Ukraine during the past several years. He informed that in 2012, 300 thousand less citizens than the previous year have moved to work abroad. He deems that this is connected “neither with the refined working conditions in our country, not with real increase of the number of workplaces, but with a continuous socio-economic crisis in the Eurozone”.
According to the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, youth work migration is becoming a sad tendency of recent years. “Eighty per cent of students express their willingness to study abroad and after graduation find employment there,” he stressed.
At the same time, R.Koshulynskyi noted that “our work migrants play enormous role in supporting Ukraine’s economy”. He informed that according to the International Organization for Migration data, in 2012 migrant workers transferred USD 7,5 billion, which is USD 1,5 billion more than all foreign investors have invested into Ukraine for the past year.
Chairman of the Committee Valeriy Patskan noted that according to various expert estimate, from 3 top 5 mln of Ukrainian citizens work abroad. The vast majority of them are work migrants. Ukraine has become the country, actively influencing formation of labour market in the EU and Russia.
According to him, migration of Ukrainian citizens actively effects demographic and social development of our state, creating new challenges to national security.
The Committee Chair stressed that able-bodied part of population that can make the most significant contribution into the country’s economy moves abroad. According to the official data, not less than 30% of Ukrainian migrants work abroad illegally. Most often, Ukrainian labour migrants address their friends, relatives or acquaintances, possessing respective information, when searching work abroad.
All the abovementioned is just a fragment of the whole block of problems connected with labour migration. Main problems remain either unsettled or settled only partially. Particularly, this pertains to protection of rights of Ukrainian employees abroad as well as their medical and social insurance.
Participants of hearings noted that today Ukraine attaches special attention to the issue of development of national labour market and elaboration of efficient and relevant employment policy aimed at increasing economic activity of population, the number of new workplaces and broadening of possibilities for implementation of citizens’ right to decent work.
Today Ukraine is a Party to the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers, Agreement on Cooperation in the Sphere of Labour Migration and Social Protection of Labour Migrants, Protocol to the abovementioned Agreement, Convention on the Legal status of Migrant Workers and Their Families of the CIS member states, and the Agreement on Guarantees of the Rights of Citizens of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States in the Field of Pension Provision.
Ukraine is a Party to 13 bilateral agreements on employment and social protection of migrant workers. There are 8 agreements in the sphere of social security, concluded under the proportional principle.
Rapporteurs believe that the system of voluntary pension insurance starts operating more actively.
Ratification of the Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland on Social Security, signed on May 18, 2012, is under preparation, the same as the Agreement between Ukraine and the State of Israel on Social Security, signed on October 28, 2012. Signing of bilateral social security agreements with the Kingdom of Spain and the Federal Republic of Germany is also under preparation. Preparation is undertaken to conclude social security agreements with Serbia, Montenegro, Belarus, Brazil, Hungary and Luxembourg.
Participants of hearings outlined main problematic issues in the sphere of labour migration that are to be addressed.
The necessity to adopt the Law “On Foreign Labour Migration” was stressed.
Participants of hearings believe also that in order to fully or partially decrease the level of (hidden) unemployment and bring part of work migrants back, the government should elaborate and adopt “National program to increase the number of workplaces on domestic enterprises and institutions of all types of ownership”.