Help Chain:How Ukrainians can find a job

Halyna Skvortsova
Jun 13
2 min read

A Collective Strategy for Employment and Integration in the UK

For that session dozens of Ukrainians and allies came together online and in person to participate in a powerful conversation about employment, solidarity, and self-organisation. The event, titled “Help Chain: How Ukrainians Can Find a Job,” marked a critical step in building grassroots solutions to one of the most urgent challenges facing the Ukrainian community in the UK: stable, dignified work.

The session featured Solomiia Baranets, founder of the Ukrainian Employment Integration (UEI) initiative and architect of Help Chain — an initiative that has made some big promises: 100,000 jobs, 50,000 certifications, 10,000 exams, and even a potential new visa, etc.

Ambitious? Absolutely.

Necessary? Mostly.

Achievable? That depends on who you ask.

Why This Matters (Even If Most Already Work)

It’s true: official UK statistics suggest around 69% of Ukrainians under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are already employed. So why the need for a movement focused on employment?

Because — as many participants highlighted — “employed” doesn’t always mean “thriving.” Many Ukrainians are in roles far below their qualifications, stuck in survival jobs due to language barriers, lack of UK credentials, or uncertainty around immigration status. Engineers are washing dishes. Doctors are cleaning hotel rooms. Lawyers are working as cashiers.

So yes — the problem isn’t always joblessness, but job mismatch, insecurity, and lost potential.

What We Discussed

The conversation opened with a clear message: waiting for outside solutions is no longer an option. Instead, Help Chain proposes a model of mutual aid, strategic partnerships, and community-led employment systems.

What’s Working — and What’s Not

Participants reflected on the strengths and challenges of the current moment. While initiatives like Help Chain have begun building momentum with over 19 volunteer groups and new employer partnerships, many barriers remain:

The risk of data misuse or over-promising without delivery
Complex visa rules that limit job access even for highly qualified people

Still, the session made clear: a large, coordinated effort is forming.

It also opened the floor to harder questions:

Are some partners just branding, without real impact?
How will personal data be used and protected?
Do the big promises align with realistic, measurable outcomes?

While the vision inspired many, there was a sense of “wait and see” among some attendees:

“It’s not clear who exactly benefits from this.”

“What happens to my data if I submit my CV?”

“Is this a non-profit or a hidden recruitment agency?”

This kind of healthy skepticism is what any serious initiative must be ready to face if it wants real support.

What’s Next?

✅ A new Help Chain platform is launching to connect Ukrainian professionals with UK employers

✅ Ongoing negotiations with language schools and certification providers are underway

✅ More city-based organisers are needed to localise the initiative and scale it across the UK

✅ Results will be gathered and presented to the UK government to advocate for a new work-based visa route for Ukrainians

Final Words from Solomiia Baranets:

“This is not about one project or one person. This is about proving that we, as a displaced community, are ready to stand together again — to build, to contribute, and to be seen. If we do this together, we can turn displacement into opportunity.”

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