A large majority of Ukrainian refugees in Poland have found work according to a new study conducted by the University of Warsaw’s Centre for East European Studies and the EWL Foundation for Support of Migrants on the Labour Market.
The survey shows that 78 percent of Ukrainians in Poland were employed.
The figure is 12 percentage points higher among the pre-war Ukrainian ex-pat population (83% compared to 71% of refugees). The researchers said this was largely due to better knowledge of the Polish language among that group.
The authors of the report also said that the Polish society as a whole contributed to this great success, ensuring that Ukrainian refugees find work.
“Thanks to training programs and support from Polish employers, Ukrainian citizens have the opportunity to study Polish and to gain new qualifications enabling them to work in their professions and strengthen the labor market, among other things by taking up work in key sectors for the Polish economy,” Andrzej Korkus, CEO of the EWL Foundation’s Migration Platform said.
The research also showed that only 42% of those present in Poland before the war and 23% of Ukrainians coming to Poland after the war started, held positions consistent with their qualifications.
The researchers suggested that those who intend to stay long-term would find more appropriate work as their Polish language skills improved.
The research was conducted between March 4 and 13, 2023, on a sample of 500 Ukrainian citizens in over a dozen towns and cities nationwide.
