Despite good training, many refugees from Ukraine are not employed in Germany. However, a study shows that the rate is increasing and so is the life satisfaction of immigrants.
Since Russia’s attack, around a million people have fled Ukraine to Germany. Despite a high level of education, only one in five immigrants of prime working age has so far found a job. This emerges from the preliminary results of the migration statistics and preliminary results of the microcensus, which the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden published.
The statisticians put net immigration from Ukraine in 2022 and the first half of 2023 at around one million people. According to the information, 61 percent of these people were female; If you only count adults, the figure was 69 percent.
15 percent of all women were single parents, and one in four children grew up with only one parent. This means that a total of 40 percent of people from Ukraine lived in single-parent families – compared to only eight percent of the German population as a whole.
High level of education among refugees
“What is remarkable is the high proportion of people who immigrated from Ukraine with academic qualifications,” it said. 45 percent of 25 to 59 year olds had an academic vocational qualification from a technical college or university, 28 percent had a non-academic vocational qualification. For comparison: In the total population of Germany, only 27 percent of this age group have an academic qualification.
“Despite a high level of education, only one in five people aged 25 to 59 who immigrated from Ukraine were employed,” it said. Of the men and women in this main employment phase, only 19 percent worked. For comparison: the employment rate in the total population in this age group is more than four times higher at 85 percent.
The employment rate of women who immigrated from Ukraine was 14 percent, significantly lower than that of men at 30 percent. Taking up employment is particularly difficult for mothers with small children.
employment rises in Year-on-year comparison
However, compared to the previous year, employment among Ukrainian refugees in Germany has increased, according to a study. As the Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB) announced, the employment rate grew from the summer of 2022 to the summer of this year on average from 16 percent to 23 percent. The employment of Ukrainian women in Germany rose from 15 percent to 21 percent, and that of Ukrainian men from 22 percent to 29 percent.
According to Andreas Ette, co-author of the study, around half of the employed Ukrainian refugees have less qualified jobs than before in their home country. Nevertheless, higher-skilled and lower-skilled jobs are represented almost equally, so that the professional status of refugees from Ukraine is, on average, higher than that of refugees from other countries.
Knowledge of German improve
The BIB presented for the first time an extensive study on the living situation, health, satisfaction and prospects of staying in Ukraine. The study was based on three online surveys in summer 2022 and at the beginning of 2023 and in summer 2023.
Accordingly, the German skills of people from Ukraine also improved significantly between summer 2022 and 2023. According to the study, half of those surveyed now state that their knowledge is between “it’s okay” and “good” – that’s 33 percentage points more than a year ago. The basis is strong attendance at language and integration courses. In spring 2023, three quarters of Ukrainian refugees would have attended or completed a language course.
In addition, all Ukrainian children of school age attend school, as BIB director Katharina Spieß said. At the same time, around a fifth also take part in online school lessons in Ukraine. Around a quarter of Ukrainian children up to two years old go to a daycare center, and 70 percent of three to six-year-olds go to a kindergarten.
childcare and language is crucial
According to Spieß, surveys show that more immigrants get jobs if they have been in Germany for more than a year. “The decisive factors for integration into the labor market are more childcare options and further commitment to learning the German language.”
Overall, the survey shows increasing levels of life satisfaction with longer stays. Self-assessment of health also improved over the three survey periods. It also becomes clear that Ukrainians assess their situation better when they can move from shared accommodation to apartments. “Now only a small number live in accommodation,” said Spieß.