The Army of Recovery project, since its inception, has involved over 70,000 unemployed individuals in community service, allowing them to earn UAH 462 million. Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Tetiana Berezhna, reported this achievement.
"The Army of Recovery project has been operating for a year now, and 70,700 unemployed people have been involved in it. They have earned a total of UAH 462 million for performing community service. Today, such service is performed in 19 regions of the country, with Kharkiv Oblast leading the effort, boasting more than 13,000 unemployed individuals actively participating in community service. It's crucial to recall that the Government initiated this project with the primary aim of providing financial support to those who have temporarily lost their jobs, offering them the opportunity to engage in community service and receive state compensation. Noteworthy is the recent enhancement in payment; as of October this year, remuneration for such work has increased by one and a half times, now reaching UAH 10,050 for a full month of dedicated service," stated Tetiana Berezhna.
Among the most active participants in the project are:
- Kharkiv Oblast - 13,300 people;
- Poltava Oblast - 9,200 people;
- Donetsk Oblast - 8,800 people;
- Kyiv Oblast - 8,300 people;
- Chernihiv Oblast - 7,900 people
The types of community service work vary based on the specific needs of each region. Regional authorities determine what kind of work is needed in the region and inform the Employment Centre, which offers unemployed people registered with the Centre to perform such work. These people sign fixed-term employment contracts for the period of work. They are paid according to the hours worked, at a minimum of UAH 10,050 for a full month's work. Starting from 1 January 2024, the salary will increase to UAH 10,650, and from 1 April 2024, to UAH 12,000.
The most common types of community service include:
- Works to ensure the livelihoods of citizens affected by hostilities
- Unloading, packaging, and delivery of humanitarian aid
- Providing social services to citizens in areas with a concentration of internally displaced persons
- Weaving camouflage nets, canning products for the needs of the Armed Forces, sewing clothes, and repairing military ammunition
- Assistance in caring for wounded servicemen in medical facilities
- Clearing rubble, restoring residential buildings and premises, clearing railway tracks and roads damaged as a result of hostilities
- Arranging and reinforcing checkpoints and basements for shelters
- Construction of civil defence structures and reinforcement of dams
- Harvesting firewood for the needs of the military and the population.