Job fair held for displaced Ukrainians in Saskatoon

The Saskatchewan Ukrainian Response Team held a one-stop shop job fair at Merlis Belsher Place for displaced Ukrainians.

One of the newcomers looking for work was 21-year-old Daria Deinekina who arrived in Canada on June 12th.

“I haven’t had any Canadian work experience … so if I don’t have (that) I can only expect lower positions,” she said.

Deinekina is from Kherson in the southern part of Ukraine. Currently, she is working at a liquidation store but holds a bachelor's degree in translation and is hoping to find work more suitable to her field.

“Something where I can apply my knowledge in that area.”

Dozens of employers attended the event from a variety of industries including healthcare, finance and education.

“There are some staffing shortages that we are trying to address, it’s kind of industry-wide,” said the president of Innovated Piling Solutions, Banain Cote.

“When we heard from the ministry here they were putting on a job fair we thought why not.”

The Brandt Group of Companies was also on hand in search of employees for various positions across the country.

“It’s the right thing to do, we are a part of the community. The company has always been a part of Saskatchewan,” said recruiter Erin Robertson.

“The one-stop shop is really important because relocating into a different country there is a lot that they experience,” said Saskatchewan Ukrainian Response Team director Chantelle Patrick.

“A lot of new challenges that they have and so just making it a seamless and easy process to access the information and services that they need for us just helps that settlement process.”

According to Patrick, Saskatchewan has taken in approximately 1100 newcomers since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.