About 9,500 Ukrainians displaced by the war in their country have found refuge in Croatia to date, Tomislav Marevic of the Civil Protection Directorate said on Thursday, state agency Hina said, citing state radio.

“These are still mainly women and children, and many of them are accommodated privately,” Marevic said in an interview with state radio, referring to informal accommodation arranged by their families or friends in Croatia.

He said he was proud that Croatia had responded in solidarity already in the first weeks of the war and that citizens were taking in displaced persons voluntarily. He commended the government decision to finance accommodation for refugees, adding that the Civil Protection Directorate would sign a contract with each user and owner of a property.

Anny Brusic, director of the association of small and medium-sized enterprises at the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP), said that the business community was very interested in hiring Ukrainian refugees.

“We need a little more time to get the system going because certain procedures need to be simplified before any hiring actually begins. A government authority should say that at this point Ukrainian workers are not required to show a certificate of education or a diploma. Our legislation is rather rigid,” Brusic said.