The impact Ukrainian refugees have on their host countries

Why are there so many men among Ukrainian refugees?

Published

28.05.2024

It is important to refrain from generalizing. There are very different categories of Ukrainian men abroad, including long-time residents of foreign countries, those making business trips for a while, and real refugees. Men belonging to each of these categories have their own reasons for staying where they are and they also may play their own role in the war. It is worth noting that when Russia invaded Ukraine, a lot of Ukrainian men returned from abroad to stand up for their country.

First of all, Ukraine has a large diaspora that has the full right to choose between staying abroad or coming back to Ukraine and defend it. Before the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 20 million Ukrainians lived abroad, which was half of the country’s population at that time. Of course, there are a lot of men among them and many of them have been living there for all their life.

A lot of Ukrainian men travel on business outside the country absolutely legally. For example, these are non-draft-age men or those discharged from military service for health reasons. There are also men who travel on business, for instance, truck drivers. Also, these can be fathers of three or more minor children – they have the right to leave the country. In addition, these can be servicemen who travel for rehabilitation or training.

Of course, among Ukrainian male refugees there are people who are indeed evading military service. Like it or not, there is a share of such men in absolutely every society. For example, a survey of European men’s readiness to defend their Motherland with weapons in hands showed that in the UK only 11% of men would join the army as volunteers in case of war and 23% would mobilize if necessary. In Germany, these shares would be 17% and 19%, respectively. Among the Poles and Lithuanians, 16% and 30% of men expressed their readiness to defend their countries, respectively. Meanwhile, before the full-scale invasion, this index was the highest among Ukrainians – 57%. In addition, some Ukrainian men returned from abroad to fight for their country – in the first five days of the war alone, 80,000 citizens, most of whom were men, came back to Ukraine.

That is why we should refrain from labeling and generalizing as Ukrainian men abroad can have quite legal grounds for this and various reasons for making such a decision. Not all Ukrainian men are refugees and not all male refugees use this status illegally.

How do Ukrainian refugees impact their host countries?

Published

27.03.2024

Ukrainian refugees actively contribute to the economy of their host countries. Apart from enjoying benefits, they also pay taxes and spend money on life, thus replenishing local budgets.

Ukrainians fill gaps in many European job markets. Almost 2 million Ukrainians got jobs and signed employment contracts as of October 2023. European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit admitted that this has improved the situation with labor shortage in the EU.

Oxford Economics research has established that a third of every million migrants become part of the labor force. For example, with an influx of 1 million migrants, Poland could see a 2% rise in potential GDP before 2030.

Ukrainians strengthen foreign economies via spending money and paying taxes. Ukrainian refugees’ expenses stimulate their host countries’ economies, particularly through private consumption. As of the summer of 2023, Ukrainians’ spending abroad was estimated at an average of EUR 1.2 billion per month. According to the National Bank’s calculations, the production of goods in Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic will rise by 2.2-2.3% until 2026 due to the presence of Ukrainian migrants.

Thanks to Ukrainians, Poland saw a 35% increase in the number of people using passenger transport services, 42% – in the volume of financial and insurance services, and 29% – in consulting services. Since this spike was recorded in 2022, it was Ukrainian refugees who triggered it.

Ukrainians get assistance from their host countries, but their economies receive this and even more money back. As of the fall of 2022, Poland spent EUR 750 million on the assistance for Ukrainians. However, according to Vice-President of the Polish Development Fund Bartosz Marczuk, the country earned $2.4 billion in taxes paid by Ukrainians.

The Czech Republic paid CZK 16.33 billion to Ukrainian refugees from February 24, 2022 until February 15, 2024. In addition, CZK 2.84 billion was paid to the Czechs for hosting Ukrainians. At the same time, Czech Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka and Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan said that Ukrainian refugees have paid this money back from their earnings. In 2023 alone, Ukrainians paid CZK 12-15 million to the Czech budget. In addition, some Ukrainians have already been working in the Czech Republic in 2022 and even more Ukrainian people are employed there in 2024. Thus, the amount of revenues from Ukrainians’ stay in the country has fully covered the costs.

When Ukrainians receive the right to temporary protection, they can get employed, and therefore pay taxes. Poland hosts the largest number of Ukrainians registered as entrepreneurs. In 2022, they paid $ 1 billion in social contributions. Poland’s GDP rose by 1% in 2022 due to Ukrainian migrants.
According to the International Monetary Fund, the EU spent approximately EUR 30-37 billion to host Ukrainian refugees, which is a significant amount, but still it is only 0.2% of GDP of the entire EU whose economy benefits from employed refugees and, yet again, earns this investment back.

Is it true that Ukrainian refugees don’t want to work and they live just on subsidies?

Published

27.03.2024

Ukrainian refugees have adapted to independent life in the new countries. Many of them found jobs, pay taxes and strengthen the economies by spending money in their host countries.

The majority of Ukrainian refugees abroad have jobs, the number of employed refugees is constantly growing, and most of them rent housing on their own. All money spent by the European countries on the social payments to Ukrainian refugees is earned back by the economies of these countries with a substantial profit.

The majority of Ukrainian refugees abroad have jobs. A global study conducted in July-August 2023, showed that 53% of adult Ukrainian refugees were employed and had local jobs. Only 9% of them worked online for Ukrainian companies. Hence, these people pay taxes and generate a customer flow. As of October 2023, almost 2 million Ukrainians were employed. According to an October 2023 survey, Ukrainians spent EUR 1.2 billion per month abroad.

The share of full-time employed Ukrainians is growing. The percentage of employed Ukrainian refugees in Poland has increased from 30% to 42%, in Germany – from 8% to 15%. And by June 2024, 28.9% of refugees in Germany were employed.  A survey conducted by ARC Rynek and Opinia showed that 71% of Ukrainians in Poland live on their own assets, even though not all of them are officially employed.

The number of Ukrainians who rent separate housing is also growing. In the first poll at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, only 16% of Ukrainians abroad had private housing. This share increased to 44% in June 2023. The largest percentage of Ukrainians – around 62% – pay for housing in Poland on their own.

Ukrainians get assistance from their host countries, but their economies receive this and even more money back. As of the fall of 2022, Poland spent EUR 750 million on the assistance for Ukrainians. However, according to Vice-President of the Polish Development Fund Bartosz Marczuk, the country earned $2.4 billion in taxes paid by Ukrainians.

The Czech Republic paid CZK 16.33 billion to Ukrainian refugees from February 24, 2022 until February 15, 2024. In addition, CZK 2.84 billion was paid to the Czechs for hosting Ukrainians. At the same time, Czech Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka and Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan said that Ukrainian refugees have paid this money back from their earnings. In 2023 alone, Ukrainians paid CZK 12-15 million to the Czech budget. In addition, some Ukrainians have already been working in the Czech Republic in 2022 and even more Ukrainian people are employed there in 2024. Thus, the amount of revenues from Ukrainians’ stay in the country has fully covered the costs.

Ukrainian refugees are actively integrating into new places and most of them already live at their own expense. In addition, they actively contribute to the growth of their host countries’ economies.

Is it true that Ukrainian refugees do not want to return home when the war is over?

Published

04.04.2024

Various polls conducted among Ukrainian refugees in the EU indicate that 60 to 80 percent of Ukrainian citizens plan to come back to Ukraine when the war is over.

Ukrainians are already returning home. According to a Factum Group survey, 63% of Ukrainians, who had fled the country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, have returned to Ukraine before the end of summer 2023.

Even more Ukrainians plan to return. Ukrainian refugees are not typical, because they are fleeing not from the authorities, but because of the war. This means that the end of the war is the main driver of their return. A survey conducted by the Center for Economic Strategy (CES) in February 2023 showed that 75% of Ukrainians plan to go back home. According to the optimistic forecast of the CES, 3 million refugees will come back and 1.3 million people will stay abroad. Even in the pessimistic scenario, at least 1 million people will return to Ukraine for sure.

Ukrainians have reasons to come back. Missing family, homesickness and the desire for their children to attend Ukrainian schools, as well as willingness to contribute to the restoration of the country are the main reasons.

Ukrainians also aspire to get back more qualified jobs they used to have in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian refugees are now forced to work in production, farming or carry out seasonal work in the field. Such jobs offer them a lower status and smaller wages than they used to have in Ukraine. Up to 80% of refugees think so.

Most refugees will not return until the war is over. The main reason why refugees do not come back en masse is security. Some 50% of those who plan a comeback or are not sure about this are not ready to return as the war grinds on.

Many Ukrainians have nowhere to go back to. According to the estimates of the International Organization for Migration, almost 300,000 people have physically lost their houses and apartments.

Many Ukrainians had their relatives or friends killed, tortured or raped by Russian soldiers. For many Ukrainians, this is a critical reason. One of the respondents said her daughter was killed, that is why she will never come back to Ukraine.

Ukrainians indeed want to return home and they have personal and economic reasons for this. But still a certain number of people will stay abroad forever.

Is it true that Ukrainian refugees only cause problems abroad?

Published

08.04.2024

Most Ukrainian refugees have a high level of education and successfully integrate into the life of their host countries. Ukrainians solve the problem of labor shortage and make a tangible contribution to paying taxes.

Ukrainian refugees are educated and qualified. The literacy rate in Ukraine is 99.7%, which is on par with the European countries, according to a UNESCO survey dated 2007. Some 68% of Ukrainian refugees in Germany have higher education.

Ukrainians compensate for labor shortages on the European markets. As of October 2023, 1.87 million Ukrainians in the EU got jobs and signed employment contracts. An Oxford Economics research forecasted that if 650,000 Ukrainians stay in Poland, the labor force will increase by an additional 210,000. With such figures, Poland’s GDP could additionally rise by 1.2% before 2030 or by 2-3% before 2050.

Social assistance allocated to Ukrainians returns to the economy in a larger amount. As of the fall of 2022, Poland spent EUR 750 million for assistance to Ukrainians. At the same time, according to Vice-President of the Polish Development Fund Bartosz Marczuk’s estimates, the country received $2.4 billion in taxes paid by Ukrainians as of the end of fall 2022.

The Czech Republic paid CZK 16.33 billion to Ukrainian refugees from February 24, 2022 until February 15, 2024. At the same time, CZK 2.84 billion was paid to the Czechs for hosting Ukrainians. Czech Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka and Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan said that in 2023 alone, Ukrainians paid CZK 12-15 million to the Czech budget. In addition, some Ukrainians have already been working in the Czech Republic in 2022 and even more Ukrainian people are employed there in 2024. Thus, the amount of revenues from Ukrainians’ stay in the country has fully covered the costs.

Is it true that Ukrainian refugees are reluctant to learn the languages of their host countries?

Published

09.04.2024

Ukrainians actively learn the languages of their host countries as this is necessary for getting a job and living a full life in the country. The demand for language courses among Ukrainians in some countries exceeds the proposal. At the same time, seriously distressed people have limited abilities to take in new knowledge and that is why language learning may be a serious challenge for some Ukrainians.

Ukrainians actively learn languages, because language skills are necessary for getting a qualified job in the host country. Ukrainian refugees in all countries say that fluency in the local language is a must for getting a specialty job. Ukrainians learn languages to get back to a habitual way of life and earn adequate wages. According to a survey that was conducted in May 2023, one third of the respondents were taking free language courses in their host countries and 44% were learning languages on their own. The largest share of Ukrainians take language courses in Germany – 62.2%.

The demand for language courses among Ukrainians in some countries exceeds the proposal. Over the past two years, almost 450,000 Ukrainians received referrals to the integration courses in Germany, however the system managed to provide less than half of these people with seats – only 198,000. A Berenschot survey conducted in the Netherlands confirmed the lack of seats for Ukrainians willing to learn the local language.

It is harder for people to gain new knowledge while experiencing constant stress. Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist and Professor at Stanford University, said that chronic stress and war-related trauma kill neurons in the hippocampus, a part of the brain which is responsible for the formation of emotions, learning, and memory. The stay in a foreign country in the state of uncertainty, often after the loss of loved ones or property, when your habitual life is ruined and your relatives are under a constant threat in Ukraine, is a very stressful experience for a person. That is why some Ukrainians simply have no physical resources to learn a foreign language.