On Thursday, 20 October, the special report from the sociological study ‘Ukrainian refugees – vocational activation in Germany and in Poland’ conducted by the EWL Migration Platform and the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw was presented in Berlin.
The key findings of the survey conducted among refugees from Ukraine who arrived in Poland and Germany after 24 February 2022 and took up employment in these countries were discussed during a meeting with the representatives of the media, NGOs, experts, officials and diplomats. The meeting was chaired by the well-known journalist Ewald Konig.
‘Poland has coped better than Germany with the challenge of labour activation of Ukrainian refugees, although in the latter country the number of vacancies is much higher and the employers in almost all sectors are complaining about a shortage of hands, especially of highly-skilled professionals,’ said Andrzej Korkus, CEO of the EWL Group, during the conference.
‘The deregulation of certain professions, the acceleration and simplification of procedures related to residence and taking up employment by Ukrainian refugees in Germany can help in their labour activation, which is among the key forms of support for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war,’ emphasized Michalina Sielewicz, International Development Director at the EWL Group.
‘We do not know the exact number of refugees employed in Germany. However, calculations by the Munich-based Ifo Institute for Economic Research show that close to 160,000 refugees might have found employment in Germany,’ said Karolina Klages, Business Development Manager (DACH) at the EWL Group.
The report ‘Ukrainian refugees – vocational activation in Germany and in Poland‘ was created after analysing the results of the sociological study, which was conducted from 15 July to 25 July 2022 in Poland and in Germany by the EWL Migration Platform and the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw. 800 Ukrainian citizens were surveyed who decided to come to Poland and Germany after 24 February 2022 and took up employment in those countries.
