Draft bill #12129 of October 16, 2024

Sponsor: Cabinet of Ministers

Status: sent for review to the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on Social Policy and Veterans’ Rights Protection

Who is affected: unemployed individuals over 35, discharged service members, combat veterans, internally displaced persons, other war-affected individuals, people with disabilities, the Cabinet of Ministers, and employment centers

Summary:

  • the state will assist with learning a new profession or skills and retraining as a social service
  • the bill establishes the right to undergo free training once in a lifetime using a state-provided voucher. It will cover retraining for a skilled profession, obtaining a master’s degree in a field different than that of a bachelor’s degree, or training at a higher education level (excluding doctoral studies)
  • the right will be granted to:
    • individuals over 35 with at least 10 years of insurance experience
    • discharged service members
    • combat veterans
    • internally displaced persons
    • individuals recognized as deprived of freedom due to armed aggression
    • people with disabilities
    • individuals who suffered injuries while working or residing in combat zones and have health issues related to the war, provided they have relevant recommendations in their individual rehabilitation plans (regardless of whether they have been granted disability status)
  • people from the specified categories will have the option to use the state assistance with retraining until they reach retirement age
  • individuals will be allowed to choose one profession from a predefined list of professions
  • if an unemployed person wants to obtain a new profession, undergo retraining, or enhance their qualifications, they will have to first undergo a medical and psychiatric examination
  • during training, individuals will be provided with housing and compensated for travel expenses to and from the training location if it is not near their registered place of residence
  • unemployment benefits will be suspended during retraining but reinstated after training is completed. Instead, during training, the individual will receive assistance, the amount of which will be set by the Cabinet
  • if an unemployed person completes training but then refuses a job offered by the employment center and does not register their own business, they lose the right to most social services and benefits for 12 months. The exceptions are informational services, consultations, and assistance in job search. Assessment and recognition of training results for unemployed individuals, as well as the assignment and confirmation of their professional or partial qualifications, will be conducted at special accredited centers. All these services will be funded by the state.

What is right:

  • veterans, people with disabilities, internally displaced persons, and other war-affected individuals will have more opportunities to integrate into the labor market
  • the bill partially addresses the shortage of skilled workers by providing retraining. The labor market will be better adapted to the needs of post-war reconstruction
  • the bill will positively influence the employment rate and indirectly help to decrease the level of labor migration abroad