Saskatoon a small city with 'big opportunities,' Ukrainian refugees say

The job hunt is underway for those Ukrainians who have made it to Saskatchewan and those still waiting to escape the Russian invasion.

Employers and potential employees are working to start filling positions across Saskatchewan.

Making the long trek to Saskatchewan is just the start for Maryna and Halil Cetin from Dnipro Ukraine.

They both left their professions behind. He’s a civil engineer and she’s in marketing and advertising.

“We are looking for any jobs that we can do now because we want to catch at least one opportunity,” Maryna told CTV News.

The pair is living with a host family that they didn’t know previously. While they’re grateful for all the help and support they want to earn their keep and find their own home.

From their online research, they knew Saskatoon would be a good place to achieve this.

“We thought how much it will cost because we just ran away from war and we need to survive in another country and another culture,” Halil said.

His wife said they did consider bigger cities but quickly favoured Saskatoon.

“A small city has big opportunities. It’s easier to find ourselves here than in Vancouver or Toronto,” she said.

They’re not the only ones pounding the pavement looking for employment.

Social media pages indicate the need for Ukrainians to find a place to work.

One mother, Tetiana Kobzar posted that she’s looking for employment in her field of medicine but is willing to do other jobs in wellness as an alternative.

Another woman, Svitlana Rybachok, who hasn’t yet arrived with her kids, is posting her credentials. She has history and law degrees and is hoping to get some job prospects before she arrives in mid-May.

Employers are also coming forward. A farm operation near Canora posted that they are looking for help, adding knowledge of operating farm equipment as an asset.

“We had a lot of requests from farmers. When we’re talking about manufacturers, they want them to know a bit of English because it’s about the safety rules,” said Olena Atamanchuk, the settlement and community services coordinator with Ukrainian Canadian Congress Saskatoon.

The UCC says about 50 displaced families have made it to Saskatchewan in the last month. The group is working to provide English lessons to broaden the job opportunities for Ukrainians.

Atamanchuk also says towns outside the major centres have reached out, promoting the simple lifestyle of a smaller close-knit community.

With the influx of assistance required, the UCC recently hired two more staff to help with settlement and employment and they are stationed in Regina. One more will be brought on board in the coming weeks and will join the team in Saskatoon.

In an email statement, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career Training said employers who would like to offer jobs are being encouraged to post on saskjobs.ca with #sksupportsukraine in their ad. More than 190 jobs have been posted with that hashtag.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says that as of April 19, it has approved 56,633 of 163,747 three-year temporary resident visa applications.