A recruitment director who has helped more than a hundred Ukrainians find jobs in Quebec laments that several companies are stymieing themselves by stopping at the language barrier.
• Also read: Back or stay forever? The dilemma of Ukrainians in Quebec
• Also read: After a year of war in Ukraine, here we have learned seven things about Vladimir Putin
“Given the labor shortage, it would be in their favor to have a little more openness,” said Marie-Ève Jalbert of staffing firm Randstad.
Powerless in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she offered her employer last July to devote herself exclusively to finding jobs for refugees. The project was accepted.
Since then, she and her colleague Oleksandra Zhovtiuk have placed 111 newcomers from Ukraine and even found accommodation for around half of them.
They now work in cheese production, bottling, trailer making, set assembly and many other areas, particularly in the greater Montreal area.
But Marie-Ève Jalbert has interviewed about 200 other Ukrainians in the last six months without having managed to find anyone interested in their CV.
Anxious Employers
“The main reason employers are afraid is the language barrier,” she notes.
The director quickly reassures her clients: a translator from Ukrainian into French employed by the law firm will facilitate their integration into the workplace, and there are translation applications.
Several employers also fear security breaches if Ukrainians don’t understand all the precautions to be taken.
Again, Marie-Ève Jalbert explains to them that the interpreter translates the documents necessary for their training and the specific instructions.
“We always get along with our two Ukrainian workers, even if they don’t speak French or English well yet,” confirms Mélissa Lebel Pupo from Ventilation Lambro, who puts health and safety first.
peace of mind
MARIO BEAUREGARD/QMI AGENCY
Yurii Khudenko, originally from Zaporijjia, awaits the imminent arrival of his wife and son in Quebec, while Denys Obrazkov from Cherkasi has arrived alone.
“And they have enormous mental strength. Despite the war, they don’t sit at home twiddling their thumbs,” adds the HR manager, who makes sure that her employees receive stamps for at least three hours a week.
Denys Obrazkov, who worked as a warehouse clerk in Cherkassy, central Ukraine, was lucky enough to get the job Randstad got him.
“I was very afraid of not finding anything. Now I can think about the next day with more peace of mind,” he testifies through an interpreter.
For her part, Marie-Ève Jalbert hopes to find other employers willing to give newcomers, especially women, a chance.
“That’s my big challenge. Right now I have many positions that require lifting 40+ pounds and not everyone can do it. »
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?