Reintegrating Internally Displaced Persons, Veterans and Women in the Post-Invasion Labor Market in Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions of people within the country's borders, creating Europe's largest internal displacement crisis since World War II. More than 3.8 million Ukrainians remain internally displaced, many having lost the social networks, local knowledge, and professional connections that help people find and keep jobs. Women, particularly single mothers, and veterans face additional barriers to labor market integration, while linguistic and cultural differences between eastern and western Ukraine can further complicate employment and social inclusion.

This project evaluates whether two targeted interventions can improve employment and integration outcomes for internally displaced persons (IDPs): workplace-focused sociolinguistic training and job-matching services. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive sociolinguistic training, job-matching support, both interventions, or a control condition. The training aims to strengthen professional communication skills and confidence, while the job-matching component connects participants to employers, professional networks, and information about available opportunities.

The study will examine whether these interventions improve employment, job quality, and social inclusion, as well as the mechanisms through which they operate, including changes in professional networks, job-search behavior, confidence, and cultural-linguistic integration. The findings will provide evidence on scalable strategies to help displaced populations successfully integrate into local labor markets and communities in post-invasion Ukraine.