M&S, ASOS and Lush among 45 companies to hire Ukrainian refugees

UK businesses including M&S, ASOS and Lush are among a group of more than 45 companies that have told the government they will hire Ukrainian refugees when they arrive in the UK, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

Approximately 10,000 jobs are to be available in a move led by Emma Sinclair, the Chief Executive of Enterprise Alumni, as Britain is experiencing labour shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, and “people want to help” those fleeing war torn Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

M&S has reportedly said it was “absolutely committed” to the humanitarian cause in Ukraine, while online fashion retailer ASOS has stated it is looking to employ “double digits” of refugees in tech engineering roles as the Ukraine has “strong skill sets” in that area.

UK cosmetics company Lush told BBC News that it was happy to consider refugees for any role, even those it would normally only advertise for internal candidates.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, has told Sky News that 3,000 visas have so far been offered to Ukrainians, allowing them to enter the UK.

Potential recruiters are meeting with the Refugee Council charity next week to share what opportunities will be available across their businesses.

So far, over 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, with the numbers rising on a daily basis.