In Germany, Ukrainians are being denied jobs for fabricated reasons, while at the same time being required to find employment

An Odesa native living in Germany says she has been unable to find work as a graphic designer for six months, repeatedly facing rejections for clearly fabricated reasons.

She shared her story in a street interview.

The young woman said she had learned German well and has been actively sending out résumés, but no one is hiring her.

“I’ve been actively looking for work for six months now — without success. I’m applying for graphic designer positions and have sent my résumé to around 30 companies. They tell me my portfolio is good, but that I have a degree in architecture, not in graphic design. I even went to one firm in person to ask directly why they rejected me. I caught an employee there who was visibly surprised and said it was because I have an architectural background. But the job description didn’t specify that a degree in graphic design was required. He said he immediately filtered me out — the same way they filter out people over 45 — because I didn’t ‘fit the profile,’” the Ukrainian woman explained.

The interviewer concluded that Ukrainians are being encouraged to find work, yet companies reject them for contrived reasons.

“So what do you want from me — to work and pay taxes, or to go back to Ukraine and do nothing here? If I work — it’s bad; if I don’t work — it’s bad. Whatever I do, it’s all wrong,” she summarized.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Justice Ilona Havronska stated that Ukraine and the European Union are already discussing a plan to wind down the refugee protection program for Ukrainians. Under this plan, Ukrainians will be able to remain in the EU only if they obtain a residence permit.

“Our joint work with the EU on future changes for Ukrainians is based on three key principles: unity, dignity, and partnership. Unity means maintaining the connection of Ukrainians with their homeland, with each other, and with Europe. Dignity means recognizing that Ukrainians abroad actively contribute to the societies that have taken them in — and are not a burden to them,” Havronska said.