State support for employers who employ war veterans: what should it be like?

The paper proposes a comprehensive approach to the problem of employing war veterans, the need of which is determined, on the one hand, by the constantly growing number of war veterans, a significant share of whom will require decent jobs after demobilisation; on the other hand, by the urgency of developing mechanisms of state support for employers in hiring this category. Unlike the mechanism of job quotas, such support would contribute to the actual employment of war veterans and improve their reintegration into the labour market and social environment. The article substantiates the necessity of state support for domestic employers in the employment of war veterans, taking into account the opinions of national employers based on the results of sociological research and international experience, and develops proposals regarding mechanisms for such support. By contrast, the system of job quotas for war veterans carries numerous risks, such as ‘paper employment’, stigmatisation, loss of motivation to work, and others; and will not contribute to solving the problem of their employment. The author states, that introducing a universal employment quota for war veterans for all employers would be inappropriate (with the exception of the existing 4% employment quota for war veterans with disabilities). However, the paper argues that it would be reasonable to introduce a 10% employment quota for war veterans in state-owned enterprises as well as in state and local government bodies. Currently, Ukraine lacks sufficient incentive mechanisms to encourage employers to hire war veterans. Moreover, the few existing mechanisms do not significantly influence the situation with veteran employment and do not motivate employers to employ them. At the same time, the results of a survey of domestic employers demonstrate their willingness to provide jobs for veterans, but they expect state support in this matter. Finally, author proposes financial, non-financial, and institutional mechanisms to stimulate employers to hire war veterans.