NewsRescue
According to Die Welt, only 20% of Ukrainian refugees who came to Germany following the commencement of the conflict with Russia are currently employed.
Since February 2022, approximately 1 million Ukrainian refugees have landed in Germany, according to the UN. According to Die Welt, four-fifths of them are still unemployed after more than a year and a half.
The integration of Ukrainians into the German labor market has been “sluggish” in comparison to neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic, where nearly two-thirds of migrants have work, according to a Thursday piece in the publication.
According to Die Welt, one of the key reasons for the gap is the significant financial aid granted by German authorities. Ukrainians can receive €502 ($537) each month indefinitely.
In Poland, the monthly benefits for refugees are just €66, with those living in collective accommodation being asked to cover half of the costs after four months. The Czech authorities offer financial aid of €200, which drops to €130 after five months.
The paper clarified that Ukrainians in Poland and the Czech Republic primarily work in low-wage jobs, whereas Germany employs “a different strategy” of sending the refugees, three-quarters of whom have university degrees, on six-month language and integration courses in order for them to find employment that matches their qualifications.
Die Welt, on the other hand, reported that Berlin’s plan “doesn’t seem to be working.” According to data from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation think tank, the number of working refugees has increased by only 1% since October 2022.
According to Die Welt, “burdensome German bureaucracy” should also be blamed for delaying the entry of Ukrainians on the employment market. While other EU nations have quickly removed legal barriers for persons fleeing the crisis, Berlin insists on lengthy security checks.
It cited a survey conducted by the Ukrainian pollster Razumkov Center, which found that nearly half of Ukrainians have encountered bureaucratic obstacles while registering in Germany.
According to UN data, 5.8 million Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Europe since the start of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev. TASS stated earlier this year, citing security sources, that Russia had taken in more than 5.2 million Ukrainians escaping the violence, including 730,000 children.