Program kvalifikovaný zaměstnanec (dříve Režim Ukrajina) v reflexi členů Konfederace zaměstnavatelských a podnikatelských svazů ČR [Qualified Employee Programme (formerly Ukraine Programme) in the reflection of Members of the Confederation of Employers‘ and Entrepreneurs‘ Unions of the Czech Republic]. Prague: RILSA, 2020. 81 p., ISBN 978-80-7416-398-2 (print); 978-80-7416-399-9 (pdf)
The study „Qualified Employee Programme (formerly Ukraine Programme) in the Reflection of Members of the Confederation of Employers‘ and Entrepreneurs‘ Unions of the Czech Republic“ represents the output of the research project „Experience of employing foreigners in member companies of the Confederation of Employers’ and Entrepreneurs’ Unions of the Czech Republic (KZPS CR) with respect to social dialogue“. The aim of this research project was to capture the experience of employers who acquired foreign employees from Ukraine through the Qualified Employee Programme, which is one of the key programmes enabling the employment of foreign staff in the Czech Republic.
The research strategy of the project comprised both the qualitative and quantitative research methods (namely focus group, semi-structured in-depth interviews and questionnaire survey). The research addressed the experience of member organizations of KZPS CR, which have participated in the last two years in the Qualified Employee Programme (both their experience with employing foreign staff in general and their experience with their participation in the Programme). The acquired knowledge thus relates only to this relatively narrowly defined group of employers.
The interviewed employers represented economic sectors that have long had difficulties in recruiting and / or retaining labour staff. The possibility to employ foreign labour was one of the few ways for these employers to deal with the shortage of workers, even though the employment of foreign labour from Ukraine established some other significant demands on employers in the field of personnel policy. The reflection of the Qualified Employee Programme by the interviewed employers revealed some difficulties and critical remarks, but overall, the participation in the Programme was beneficial for the interviewed member organizations of KZPS CR and the existence of the Programme was assessed positively by them. The interviewed employers also declared ongoing interest to participate in the Qualified Employee Programme in order to address labour shortages. The finding of this research project as well as the subsequent recommenda¬tions provide an opportunity for further development of this Programme in the future.