Employment Workshop - Strengthening Pathways to Employment for Ukrainian Refugees in Romania.

On 21 January 2026, a workshop and the launch of the Romanian Employment Mapping Report and the Labour Market Analysis Report took place within the framework of the SMART UA project, organized in cooperation with JRS Romania.

The event brought together social work professionals, researchers, civil society organizations, public institutions and practitioners actively involved in supporting the labour market integration of Ukrainian refugees in Romania. The workshop provided a dedicated space for dialogue, evidence-based reflection and exchange of practices on one of the key pillars of social inclusion: access to employment.

During the workshop, the two national research reports were officially presented:

  • the Employment Mapping Report, which analyses the institutional and non-institutional actors involved in supporting access to employment for Ukrainian refugees;
  • the Labour Market Analysis Report, which examines labour market dynamics, barriers to employment, skills mismatches and examples of good practices identified in Romania.

The reports were presented by Prof. Florin Lazăr (University of Bucharest, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work), who highlighted the main findings of the research. The presentations addressed existing employment support mechanisms, institutional capacities, labour market demand and supply, as well as the key challenges faced by refugees in accessing and maintaining employment.

Among the main challenges discussed during the workshop were:

  • language barriers and limited access to Romanian language training;
  • complex administrative procedures and insufficient recognition of qualifications;
  • difficulties in accessing stable and adequately paid jobs, particularly for women with care responsibilities;
  • the need for stronger coordination between public institutions, employers and non-governmental organizations.

Participants also highlighted successful approaches and good practices, such as individualized employment counselling, partnerships with employers, skills assessment tools and targeted support for vulnerable groups.

The interactive group sessions enabled participants to share practical field experiences and to jointly reflect on policy-relevant recommendations aimed at strengthening employment pathways for Ukrainian refugees. The discussions emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder cooperation, predictable support mechanisms and evidence-informed policy responses.

The workshop benefited from the participation of David David D’Agnelli, Project Manager at JRS Europe, whose contribution reinforced the transnational dimension of the SMART UA initiative.

This event contributes to the broader objectives of SMART UA – Scaling the successful social inclusion and integration of Ukrainian refugees in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia through an innovative multi-stakeholder cooperation, by supporting knowledge generation, institutional capacity building and collaboration at national and local level.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Social Fund Agency. Neither the European Union nor the Granting Authority can be held responsible for them.