More than half of Ukrainian refugees in Poland still do not work: what are the reasons

Every fourth Ukrainian wants to settle in Poland for a longer period.

In Poland, 61% of Ukrainians who left for a neighboring country due to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation are still unemployed.

This is stated in the study “Professional Situation of Refugees from Ukraine in Poland”, prepared by Totalizator Sportowy and the Manpower Foundation, writes the Polish media.

As the Ukrainians themselves explained, they are unable to find a job due to insufficient knowledge of the Polish language (54%), the lack of offers corresponding to their qualifications (39%), as well as the lack of part-time offers (32%).

Among Ukrainian refugees who are already working in Poland, 79% have got a job but plan to find a better one. Another 51% work in a profession that does not correspond to their qualifications, only 10% of Ukrainians got a job in their specialty, but work in a lower position. And only 13% answered that they were satisfied with their current situation.

In addition, the study showed that 40% of refugees from Ukraine plan to settle in Poland for a longer period, every fifth wants return to Ukraine, but in the long run. About 14% are planned to return within 3 years after the end of the war.

“We can boldly and proudly say that the Poles have risen to the occasion in helping refugees from Ukraine… Now it is very important to convey to society how to help refugees from Ukraine return to the labor market. These people often have the necessary key competencies and inclinations, self-realization is needed in their chosen areas,” says Isabella Vizhga, President of the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation.

The above data was collected during September-November 2022. The study involved 950 refugees from Ukraine. The respondents were refugees interested in employment and development of competencies under the Win Development program.

Recall that Ukrainian refugees in Poland are increasingly showing signs of PTSD. Experts say that Ukrainian refugees need psychological and even psychiatric support, because they live in constant fear.

Earlier, a Gremi Personal survey showed that half of Ukrainian refugees after being forced to move to Poland the standard of living has improved significantly.