When war came to the territories of Lugansk Region that are not under Ukrainian control, a lot of companies stopped to work and the number of workplaces reduced also. Those people who didn’t leave the territory of LPR for some reasons faced a problem how to survive and where to get money? In this article Informator.lg.ua researched job market of “young unrecognized republic” trying to find out if there are jobs in LPR?

Tourism manager and operator of financial center: who’s paid more in LPR?

Job market in LPR is ina state of deep hibernation, but sometimes it wakes up. What kind of job can people of uncontrolled territories get and what salary can they receive? One of the “hits of a season” on LPR job market is a profession of a manager who sells tickets for bus trips. The salary is based on the amount of tickets you can sell. If you have a charisma, talkative and fast you can make from 3000 to 6000 UAH per month. Such jobs are available in cities where tour operators are located: Krasnodon, Lugansk, Stakhanov and Alchevsk. They usually take young and sly people for such jobs, not everybody can or want in a hot day or when it is very cold to run around and offer to leave “republic” for very good price.

People also say that it is profitable to work at so-called “financial centers” that grow up as mushrooms around uncontrolled territories.

Employees of those new ersatz-banks use the lack of clear financial laws in LPR, and they are quite successful offering “0% commission in Rubles” and at the same time they get big margin. So the salaries in such “banks” are also not bad for that region about 3000-5000 UAH.

Periodically they hire people to “State Bank of LPR”. But according to rumors they only take someone they know and ex-employees of “Privatbank”. The bad part is that you will have to sign a document that can’t leave the territory of LPR and can’t talk about “bank” and “state secret”

Richfreelancersandpublicworksfor“republic”

Those who have brains are looking for the job independently, without hopes for LPR. With computer and Internet access freelancers work remotely, working as programmers, rewriters or reporters. Such guys have profit from 1000 UAH to 1000 USD and higher. Not many people like that stay in the “republic”, most of the creative intellectuals left last summer.

Employment centers that got open again started hunting for people who have nothing to do offering them to go for public works at different institutions of the “republic”.  They offer 1218 UAH (minimum salary) for those who is ready to clean the yard at the kindergarten or move furniture at TB clinic. They promise to pay in Hryvnia and that’s strange since LPR switched to Ruble as main currency since September 1. They give you work since February and providing documents that confirm employment history. For many people that’s not good as they don’t want their documents to be spoiled by a stamp with a coat of arms that looks like a logo of famous Vietnamese balsam.

The minister of Social Policy Svetlana Malakhova said that by the end of August there were 7.5 thousands of unemployed who went for public works.

“We are ready to accept 2 times more, so we are waiting for people” promises Malakhova.

In order to register as a person who is looking for a job you need to show your passport, identification code, diploma and work records.

They don’t take retired and disabled people for social works saying that they have social payments, so they won’t die from hunger.

“We are sweeping in the park, after 2 pm you can go home, they don’t give us a lot of work and I like that, this is better than to be without money and the work is not hard” says unemployed Dima.

Those unemployed who have no experience or no special education are offered some jobs in supermarkets. Usually they offer positions of sellers, cashiers, security guards and loaders. You can’t make a lot of money on that, they offer from 1200 up to 2000 UAH. But residents of occupied cities are glad to work even for such little money. There is big staff turnover as there are delays with salary.

Government employees running away, people at factories get fired

Government sector has catastrophic shortage of staff. That is especially in medicine and education. “Republican” employment center and its branches in the regions invite teachers and doctors, but people are not in a rush, they get scared by big salary debts and they don’t see any perspective working in LPR.

In troublous times there are always savvy citizens who can make mini-capitals using their inventiveness and cunning. Today in LPR people make money out of thin air. For example some people offer their help in getting a pass to get out of ATO zone asking for some easy manipulations and verbal consultations from 150 up to 300 UAH.

Some unknown people offer courses teaching how to get cash from bank cards in Krasnodon. They promise that you will have practice and profit from day 1. And they promise to teach you only if you meet them personally. What the price is of such courses nobody knows.

It’s useless to look for a job at big companies, most of the factories and coal mines stopped working, the equipment was dismantled and taken away. Those companies that stayed in LPR fired most of their staff, some switched to short shifts working 2 days a week, and nobody even talks about hiring new people.

This is the reality of job market in LPR today. You can’t call the situation totally hopeless, those who want to make money for bread can do it. Those who got used to normal food and good income should leave rebel territories and look for better life on Ukrainian land, this situation in job market of LPR is going to be the same for many years.

Lilit Rebrova for Informator.lg.ua