1. Introduction One of the most serious social and economic prob- lems in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression, the annexation of Crimea and the actual occupation of certain areas of Donbas is the forced displacement of many Ukrainians from places of residence to other regions of Ukraine and the front zone of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Forcibly displaced persons left their homes, lost their property, severed social ties. As a result, in their new places of residence they became less competitive than locals, as well as themselves in their pre-war life (Муромцева, 2015; Тищенко, Піроцький, 2014; Малиха, 2015; Коваліско, Бубняк, 2016). The employment situation in the regions- main recipients of internally displaced persons (IDP) s impedes the solution of the problem of their em- ployment. Even before 2014, the situation in such re- gions was characterized by significant interregional inequality of employment conditions, in particular, Journal of Geography, Politics and Society 2018, 8(1), 44–48 DOI 10.4467/24512249JG.18.005.8157 ENSURING EQUAL REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS AS A MECHANISM TO OVERCOME THE PROBLEMS OF EMPLOYMENT OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS Viktoriia Semenenko Department for Human Development Studies, Ptoukha Institute for Demography and Social Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko Boulevard 60, 01032 Kyiv, Ukraine, e-mail: vika_vz@ukr.net Citation Semenenko V., 2018, Ensuring equal regional employment conditions as a mechanism to overcome the problems of employ- ment of IDPs, Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, 8(1), 44–48. Abstract The scale of interregional inequality of employment conditions for internally displaced persons (IDP), in particular, according to the basic indicators of the block «Decent work» of the index of regional human development is determined. The manifestations of the irregularity of placement of internally displaced persons in the regional cut are analyzed. This problem complicates the implementation of the employment policy concerning IDP’s needs. The experience of solving the IDP’s problems connected with their irregular placement, their employment, the balancing of the labor market on the basis of equalization of the dynamic equilibrium of interregional conditions of access to stable employment is generalized. The recommendations for the equaliza- tion of interregional conditions of IDP’s employment, which are necessary for deepening of the social dialogue in the field of labor relations, are substantiated. Key words equalization, internally displaced persons, stable employment, unemployment, Ukraine. Received: 15 September 2017 Accepted: 14 December 2017 Published: 30 March 2018 Ensuring equal regional employment conditions as a mechanism to overcome the problems… 45 in terms of employment level, unemployment, the share of employees receiving a salary of less than 1.5 subsistence minimums, the share of workers work- ing in conditions that do not meet sanitary and hy- giene standards, the ratio of average wages to the minimum, the level of social insurance coverage, etc. (Бубняк, 2016; Дерев’янко, 2017). In these condi- tions, it is not enough to use traditional instruments of state support for noncompetitive categories of the population at the labour market (Лібанова et al., 2015). The solution of the problem requires the forma- tion of a comprehensive macro-regional policy of ensuring equal territorial employment conditions. 2. Research results analysis According to the Ministry of Social Policy in the third quarter of 2017, 1 596 644 internally dis- placed persons were registered (Обліковано…, 2017). The largest number of internally displaced persons is registered in Donetsk (676 533 persons), Luhansk (251 231 persons), Kharkiv (212 557 per- sons), Kyiv (127 026 persons), Zaporizhzhia (118 878 persons), Dnipropetrovsk (76 457 persons) oblasts. The smallest number of IDPs was settled in Ternopil (2  722 persons), Chernivtsi (3 149 persons), Rivne (3 204 persons), Zakarpattia (3 462 persons), Ivano- Frankivsk (4 116 persons) and Volyn (4 033 persons) oblasts (Fig. 1). This demonstrates the unequal re- gional allocation of IDPs in Ukraine, which leads to the excessive social and administrative burden on local labour markets, social infrastructure of the re- gions of the occupation. The unequal distribution of internally displaced persons across the regions com- plicates the employment policy implementation. The concentration of IDPs in several oblasts (Do- netsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dniprop- etrovsk) further complicates the problem of inequal- ity of regional employment conditions, which was quite urgent before the aggression of the Russian Federation. For example, in 2013 the difference between the regions with high employment rates1 and the smallest reached 7–8 p.p. with an average of 65.5% in Ukraine, and by the unemployment rate the 1 The areas with a relatively high level of any index of the la- bour market of Regional Human Development Index include those whose level exceeds the average regional value of the investigated indicator for more than one standard deviation. Accordingly, areas with relatively low values include those whose level is lower than the average regional value of the investigated indicator more than one standard deviation Fig. 1. Distribution of internally displaced persons from the occupied Donbas and Crimea by regions of Ukraine in 2017 Source: http://www.msp.gov.ua/en/ 46 Viktoriia Semenenko difference was 3–4 p.p. (7.25% in the country as a whole), by the share of workers receiving a salary of less than 1.5 subsistence minimums – 12–16 p.p. (30.7% in the country as a whole), by the share of workers working in conditions that do not meet sanitary and hygienic standards – 31–38 p.p. (29.5% in the country as a whole), by the indicator of the ratio of average wages to the minimum – in 0.9–1.1 times (2.7 times in the country as a whole), by social insurance coverage level – 25–30 p.p. (67.1% in the country as a whole) (Методика…, 2012). By the same indicators, Dnipropetrovsk, Zapor- izhzhia and Kharkiv oblasts belonged to a group of high employment, low and average unemployment level, while Donetsk and Luhansk, on the contrary, were characterized by a relatively low level of em- ployment and a high level of unemployment. At the beginning of 2017 these indicators worsened, and the difference between successful and backward regions became greater. Thus, even a brief review of the Decent Work indicators of the Regional Hu- man Development Index showed strong regional asymmetries in the economic potential of territories, the differentiation of the population in terms of the availability of material and spiritual goods, the het- erogeneity of opportunities for decent working con- ditions (Лібанова et al., 2016). In these conditions, access to employment and employment for IDPs remains worse than for local people, and in general the inequality in the region deepens. In particular, in Poltava oblast the share of managers and specialists among the unemployed IDPs is 48.3%, while among local unemployed is 27.8%. If the majority of the unemployed IDPs are persons aged 30–45, then among the locals it is mostly young people. In terms of education, 57.1% of the unemployed IDPs have higher education, and the share of the unemployed persons with higher education among the so-called ‘native persons’ is 40.1%. The unemployed IDPs are mostly represented by females. If among all registered the unemployed in all categories, the share of women was 55%, then among the unemployed IDPs – 65% and it ranged from 56% in Chernivtsi oblast to 78% in Volyn oblast (Інтегральний індекс…, 2013; Методика…, 2013; Цимбал, 2009). The state realizes that IDPs’ problems are drastic, but it pays little attention to interregional imbal- ances in employment conditions. This leads to the fact that much has been done to help IDPs, but all the measures have proved to be point-blank and not systematically related to the processes of forma- tion of regional employment conditions and interre- gional imbalances. Thus, in accordance with Article 24-1 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Employment of the Population’ (Про зайнятість …, 2012), the following measures are provided for the promotion of employ- ment of internally displaced persons: • compensation of labour costs for the employed unemployed internally displaced persons to em- ployers; • compensation of expenses for their retraining or advanced training; • compensation of actual expenses for moving to another administrative-territorial unit of the em- ployment place and expenses for passing medi- cal examination, if it is necessary for employment. However, these legislative improvements have not been effective in practice. From March 1, 2014 till the first quarter of 2017, the State Employment Service promoted the employment of 25.6 thousand inter- nally displaced persons, which is apparently insuffi- cient for the contingent of IDPs, which ranged from 1 to 1.8 million at different times (Ринок праці…, 2016). According to the State Employment Service, as of August 1, 2017, 5.2 thousand people who received a certificate of registration as persons moving from temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine or areas of ATO continued to receive services of the State Em- ployment Service, 3.9 thousands of which had the status of the unemployed (Ринок праці …, 2016). Therefore, at present, a problem of balancing the labour market based on the support of the dynamic balance of interregional conditions is rather urgent. It is reasonable to proceed from the assumption that most of IDPs will remain permanently on their new places of residence and the relevant state policy should be based on the creation of conditions for their residence (Калачова (eds.), 2013). Priorities for developing mechanisms for ensur- ing equal interregional employment conditions should be stimulation of demand for labour through creating new enterprises and introducing new types of economic activity. This does not mean the inap- propriateness of creating jobs at already operating enterprises, but it should be accompanied by cre- ation of new enterprises, processes of demonopo- lization, search for new forms of their reintegration and cooperation. At the same time, main preference should be given to creating conditions for innova- tive development and fundamental change in the demography of the entrepreneurial landscape. And not only industrial complexes, but also sectors of in- frastructure development, construction, agriculture complex, public administration and social sphere have a potential for that. The next step should be a focus on the creation of high-quality jobs, diversified jobs and jobs of “start-to-finish” specialization and qualifications. The Ensuring equal regional employment conditions as a mechanism to overcome the problems… 47 organizational and technological policy of enter- prises should provide the demand for skilled work- ers, operators and service engineers in installation of complex technical systems, specialists of engineer- ing and technical staff, and professional managers. The state should stimulate a policy of abandon- ing cheap labour, which is especially important for enterprises-locomotives of innovation in the indus- trial, construction and infrastructure sectors (Ринок праці…, 2016). 3. Summary It is important to create jobs in small and micro-en- terprises to stimulate a creative self-realization of the population; to develop the environment of start-ups and venture companies; to create small and micro- enterprises that will support large enterprises (with- in the framework of gravity integration systems), outsourcing and/or competitive contractors of the common production chain, innovation manufactur- ing networks, service and logistics networks within the territorial clusters. The next step should be overcoming territorial and sectoral imbalances and developing infrastruc- ture and institutions for active labour mediation and consulting (both private and public). It is necessary to create a system of information mediation and consulting on issues of employment with a funda- mentally different level of activity. A powerful con- sulting company should work, which will be capable of expeditiously, targetedly and comprehensively explaining the value of available information, pro- viding professional orientation, adaptation and de- activation services. To activate social partnership in the complex en- suring equal employment interregional conditions and employment of IDPs, it is necessary to deepen a social dialogue in the field of labour relations, forecast employment in all spectra of relevant pa- rameters, to create a modern system of professional qualification and attestation, professional skilled and professional and educational coordination. This process should not be limited to the traditional circle of “authorities-employer-trade union” participants. Any organized forms of collective interest: from la- bour collectives to territorial communities and pub- lic organizations have to be involved. The next step should be support of flexible and non-traditional forms of employment. 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