Why only a few Ukrainian refugees in Germany found work (video)

Whether it is the restrictions on getting a job or the allowance of 563 euros per month per person that is quite sufficient for living, many Ukrainian refugees have not found work in Germany.

Why is this happening, understood DW edition. It is no secret that in order to employ foreigners, including Ukrainian refugees, German-speaking countries have adopted many restrictions, including knowledge of the language. But why attend courses if the German government is more than loyal to Ukrainian citizens, paying them a monthly allowance of 563 euros.

Refugees in Germany

More than a million Ukrainians fled to Germany to escape the war, and most of them are unemployed. For the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, a representative of the Christian Democratic Union, everything is very clear – in mid-February he said:

“If we say that Germany is a country of migrants, then it is Ukrainians, for example, who can most easily be integrated into the labor market. But only 20% of them work because they don’t need it.”

Similar statements are heard from other parties. According to Social Democrat Matthias Jendrike, “too comfortable conditions” have been created for Ukrainians in Germany. In one of his interviews, he directly stated: “It’s more comfortable to lie on the sofa than to attend German language courses.”

Refugees from Ukraine in Germany are entitled to receive state benefits for people who do not have a job. Singles receive 563 euros per month, married couples receive 506 euros per person. They also receive child benefit – from 357 to 471 euros per month for each, depending on age. The state also covers the costs of health insurance, housing and partly utilities. It allocates money for the purchase of home furniture and school supplies, and pays for language courses. According to Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, the 2024 budget will allocate between 5.5 and 6 billion euros for benefits for Ukrainians in Germany alone.

Ukrainian refugees in Europe

According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are approximately six million registered refugees from Ukraine fleeing the war in Europe. The highest numbers are in Germany (1.13 million), Poland (956,000), Czech Republic (381,000), Great Britain (253,000), Spain (192,000), Italy (168,000) and the Netherlands (149,000). What benefits do these countries pay?

Poland pays aid only for the first three months, after which refugees from Ukraine are left to fend for themselves. In the Czech Republic, after five months they receive 130 euros per month. In the UK there is even less government assistance.

About 2/3 of Ukrainian refugees work in Poland and the Czech Republic, more than half in Great Britain, and every fifth in Germany. These are the results of a study by sociologist Dietrich Trenhardt conducted for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in November 2023. However, a scientist at the University of Münster concluded that this was not related to the payment of government benefits to refugees. Because more Ukrainian refugees work in Denmark than in Germany – 78%, as well as in Sweden and the Netherlands (more than 50%). And these countries also provide long-term government benefits.

The study shows that particularly high numbers of refugees are employed in countries where there is easy access to the labor market. Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands and Ireland have simple digital procedures that allow all legal and social issues to be resolved in one application. In the Netherlands, temporary employment agencies are used to quickly find work. In Italy and Slovakia, Ukrainian doctors and nurses easily find work.

Problems in German-speaking countries

Germany, Austria and Switzerland, that is, German-speaking countries, are asylum-oriented countries and have adopted many restrictions and barriers to employment. There are complex procedures for verifying and recognizing professional qualifications, degrees and diplomas. The relevant departments are overloaded, and solving all problems takes time.

In Germany, great importance is attached to language proficiency: good knowledge of it is important for obtaining a highly qualified job. Many Ukrainian refugees are well educated, almost every second one has a higher education. They have professional knowledge and could reduce Germany's need for skilled labor. However, according to sociologist Trenhardt, in countries with high levels of labor integration, most refugees work in low-paid sectors:

“Not a single European country has yet managed to make fruitful use of the good education of Ukrainians. They mostly work in low-paid jobs, in hotels and restaurants, in the field of consumer services, and in agriculture.”

Cases of sexual and criminal exploitation of refugees, fraud and underpayment of labor have also been recorded in the Netherlands and Poland.

According to the Federal Employment Agency, in January 2024, 124 thousand Ukrainians registered for integration and language courses. Three quarters of them will graduate in the next six months. Based on this, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicted in the fall of 2023 that the employment situation for Ukrainian refugees in Germany would improve in the foreseeable future. However, a report from the Federal Audit Chamber shows that about half of all Ukrainians who began language courses ultimately failed the exams. According to the report, one in seven drop out of courses.

In the future, it will be possible to learn German while working. This is part of the German government's Job Turbo program, which was launched in response to low employment rates among Ukrainians. It is already being tested in interested companies. The first regular courses are scheduled to begin at the end of March 2024.

Childcare problem

Comparing Germany with other countries EU, you can easily detect another important problem. It makes it very difficult for women to find work. There are a shortage of 350 thousand places in kindergartens across the country. In some federal states, even two years after the start of the war in Ukraine, not all children and adolescents from families of Ukrainian refugees received a place in school, despite the fact that all children in Germany are obliged to study. 65% of adult refugees are women, many of whom reached Germany alone. Together with them, 350 thousand minors entered the country.

Without solving the issue of child care, women cannot get a job. And others cannot work because they are caring for elderly relatives. If you add to this those who attend language courses, then there are not many who could work. In January 2024, 519 thousand able-bodied Ukrainians were registered with the Federal Employment Agency, but only 206 thousand of them were considered unemployed. At the end of 2023, about 214 thousand refugees were working.

Sociologist Dietrich Trenhardt notes that the level of labor activity of Ukrainians in Germany today is “worrying.” Not only because the potential labor force is untapped – paid work is an important key to integration. He says:

“If they found a place in the labor market, they would have a choice between staying or returning. Without this, they could end up in precarious situations or become asylum seekers in large numbers.”

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