Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in Germany aren’t working, and for many of them, it simply is not worth it.
New data revealing that barely any Ukrainian refugees are actually working in Germany has the left-liberal government struggling to explain the failure, despite promises from the government that this refugee group would help fill in for the country’s declining labor pool.
“More Ukrainian refugees should take up work in Germany,” said Olaf Scholz during a speech in Potsdam over the weekend. The German chancellor was reacting to data showing that fewer than two out of ten Ukrainian asylum seekers are working in the country.
This is a big problem for Germany considering it is the country that has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than any other EU nation, equaling about 1.3 million people, or about a third of all Ukrainian refugees. According to the Polish Economic Institute, which reviewed a number of countries in its study, only 18 percent of Ukrainians were working in Germany as of January 2024, amounting to one of the lowest rates in Europe. In turn, Poland, for example, has 65 percent of its Ukrainian refugee population in the workplace.
Scholz said himself during his speech in Potsdam that Germany needs these Ukrainians to overcome a labor shortage — one that many other migrant groups continue to not fill either. For example, employment numbers for Africans and Asians remain abysmal, even with many of these groups having been in Germany for years.
Scholz said that despite some Ukrainians working, there are “a few hundred thousand more who are urgently needed in the labor market.” The German leader is attempting to link permanent residence permits with labor participation in order to encourage more Ukrainians into the workplace, according to Focus.
There are a number of theories as to why Ukrainians are having such a difficult time integrating into the German job market. For one, Germany’s generous social benefits for the unemployed continue to discourage a range of groups from entering the workforce, as it is often more profitable to remain unemployed. Some of these groups also collect unemployment money and work on the black market, which allows them to exploit the German taxpayer while earning additional disposable income. However, it is unclear how many Ukrainians might partake in this practice.
According to the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, one of the primary obstacles for Ukrainians is meeting recognition of qualifications, along with bureaucratic hurdles. Although some Ukrainians have mastered German, many still struggle with the language, which is a major hurdle for some employers, especially for more highly-skilled positions.
Like many other groups that come to Germany for “temporary refuge,” many Ukrainians want to stay permanently. After all, Germany — despite growing problems in society and the economy — continues to offer a higher standard of living than most other nations in the world, with generous social benefits a key element of this appeal.
Nearly half of Ukrainians tell pollsters they want to stay in the country, which is placing pressure on Scholz to quickly absorb them into the labor market — otherwise, they will serve only as a financial drain.
“In Germany, anyone who works here and does not commit any crime can almost certainly stay here,” said Scholz.
At the same time, Ukraine is seeking new ways to force men back into the country to serve on the frontline, with some countries, such as Poland, seemingly complying. It is unclear whether Germany will take similar steps at some point, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may apply renewed pressure on EU nations if the situation continues to deteriorate over the summer. Ukrainian men in Germany, however, appear to be in no rush to return to their home country and face potential death or injury in the raging battles in the east.
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