“Since the war began, we have had millions of people arriving in the EU from Ukraine. Thanks to the temporary protection, people who have fled Ukraine have been able to access healthcare, find a home, and access childcare and education services”, said the EU Commissioner for Jobs, Nicolas Schmit, at a joint press conference in Brussels today with the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and the European Commission Special Adviser on the reception of Ukrainian refugees, Lodewijk Asscher, on the occasion of the publication of a report. “These people have been given access to the labour market and social welfare assistance, to help them build a new life in the EU for as long as they need or want to stay. This year, according to a report on public services in Member States, more than one million (1.3) employment contracts were signed with people from Ukraine”, he added. “We do know that due to language barriers and the lack of recognition of qualifications, many Ukrainians work in jobs below their qualifications”, he said. For this reason, “the European Commission has published guidelines for Member States’ authorities on fast-track recognition of qualifications, and to support access to both the labour market, and training and retraining activities for adults. “Current funding to address this challenge amount to more than €1 million”.