ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT

Helvetas Creates Opportunities for Employment and Entrepreneurship through

• Piloting support programs for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to foster the recovery of war-affected communities. Local businesses are becoming part of the country's systemic recovery by creating jobs, generating income, and stimulating community development. These programs combine targeted grants with capacity building through training, knowledge exchange, access to expertise, and more.

• Building human capital through the revision of national legislation (Helvetas provided expert support in developing the draft Law «About Vocational Education» and participated in the working group), as well as short-term adult training in professions demanded by the labour market. Helvetas also piloted an internship model for vulnerable groups in enterprises to support their subsequent employment.

• Working with local authorities to strengthen local economic systems. Drawing on global expertise and field experience, Helvetas has developed a practical understanding of how local economies function during wartime and which solutions effectively support communities. In Kharkiv, Helvetas piloted a model of business support through grants and advisory services. The approach has already proven effective – over 1,800 consultations were provided to entrepreneurs through the Kharkiv Business Hub, later scaled to six municipal administrative service centers through close cooperation with local authorities and business associations.

• Developing business through digital tools – in partnership with Diia.Business and Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office Helvetas has created a dashboard and catalog for export promotion, and a digital solutions Marketplace for businesses.

Conducting Research to Deliver Evidence-based Solutions

Within Helvetas projects in Ukraine, research helps identify labour market trends — particularly by economic sectors — as well as barriers to employment, in-demand skills, and business needs for resilience and development.

Drawing on Helvetas analytics, government agencies are already adjusting employment programs, civil service training, and retraining initiatives for job seekers to better respond to labour market demand.