'Hire for Ukraine' Site Connects Refugees With Paying Work

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions, not only leaving them without shelter but also without a consistent source of income. It’s estimated that within just over two weeks, 2.5 million escaped Ukraine to surrounding countries such as Poland, which, according to UNHCR data, has received 1.6 million refugees. The same data shows 245,000 Ukrainians have entered Hungary, while more than 195,000 have fled to Slovakia. To help find work for professionals currently facing the chaos of escaping Ukraine, two New York-based brothers, originally from Russia, developed and launched a website to connect Ukrainians with work opportunities. The Hire for Ukraine website was created by Petr Novikov, co-founder of online startup Apt Buildings and a former engineering manager for Airbnb, and his brother Fed Novikov, who is the COO of Apt, which specializes in sourcing low-rise multifamily developments. Within the first two weeks of launching Hire for Ukraine, they've seen more than 1,000 active users sign up and more than 600 recruiters use the system. “It was prompted by friends who were evacuated from Ukraine to Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe and as they were co-ordinating other evacuations and launching transportation. We asked how we can help from New York, where there is limited ability to help on the ground,” Fed Novikov said. The response was to create a way to support Ukrainians finding work around the world. Over the course of a weekend, Petr Novikov built and launched the site, which allows users to upload their professional experience, creative portfolios and contact details. Fed Novikov led outreach around the project. “We saw different types of professionals register on our platform, from architects to web designers to marketers and different professionals. So we kept it pretty wide open,” Fed Novikov said. Similar projects emerging in Europe Alongside a dedicated section of resources for Ukrainian refugees to explore, including links to advise on visa applications to various countries, places to help seek shelter and job boards, the site also includes a daily newsletter to highlight to recruiters new talent who have signed up. We are Russians, and we and everyone we know are vehemently opposed to this war.—Fed Novikov, co-founder, Hire for Ukraine Since the site's launch, the brothers have noticed other projects emerging with a similar goal of finding paying work for Ukrainians. “Through that two-week period, we started to witness new projects popping up that were similar with maybe integrated boards or a specific geographic focus," Fed Novikov said. "There is a project focusing on Portugal, there is another focused on Germany, there is one only focusing on developers. So part of our efforts now are that we are collaborating with other projects and trying to understand how we specialize—whether that is on specific industries or geographic regions and integrate databases. That is what we’re trying to figure out in the back end, because there are many different initiatives." As is clear from the effort being put into the project, the Novikov brothers are—like many Russians around the world— horrified by Vladimir Putin's unprovoked war on neighboring Ukraine. “We are Russians, and we and everyone we know are vehemently opposed to this war," Fed Novikov said. "We’ve been living in the States for the last 10 years, but we have a lot of friends and relatives in Ukraine. It’s very intertwined. What is happening is completely atrocious and unbelievable." In the coming days, Adweek will be profiling some of the creative talent available for paying projects via Hire for Ukraine. You can also follow the program on Twitter at @hireforukraine. How to Work in Advertising During the War

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'Hire for Ukraine' Site Connects Refugees With Paying Work

The resource features more than 1,000 available talents, including in creativity and marketing

Stephen Lepitak

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Stephen Lepitak