BBC
Amazon has pledged to hire 5,000 Ukrainian and other refugees in Europe as part of a wider drive to help people fleeing persecution.
Hilton Hotels, Adecco and Microsoft are also among the firms promising to offer work or career support.
It comes as the global number of people forcibly displaced from their countries stands at a record 110 million.
Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said far too many refugees could not find work.
“This is despite our endemic skills shortages, their high levels of education, desire to earn a living, and legal right to work [in the EU] through the Temporary Protection Directive,” she said.
“This unprecedented show of support from businesses across the continent will be critical to enabling tens of thousands of Ukrainians to provide for themselves and their loved ones back in Ukraine.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the number of Ukrainian refugees living in Europe stands at more than 5.9 million.
Millions of others have fled conflicts and persecution in regions such as Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan.
The Tent Partnership for Refugees charity, which is co-ordinating the efforts, said most of the Ukrainian refugees in Europe were women and faced particular hurdles when finding jobs.
These ranged from not knowing the local language to having to juggle childcare responsibilities.
Under its initiative, big firms including Amazon, Hilton and Marriott have committed to hire 13,680 Ukrainians and other refugees for their workforce over the next three years.
In addition, staffing agencies such as Adecco will help 150,000 find work, while the likes of Accenture and Microsoft will…
