Refugees from Ukraine Want to Work in Germany

A full 90 percent of refugees from Ukraine want to get a job in Germany. This is the finding of a survey the ifo Institute conducted of 936 Ukrainians. Of that group, 42 percent are already working in their chosen profession or are looking for jobs that match their qualifications. About 32 percent are also willing to work below their qualifications. Some 16 percent consider their opportunities on the German labor market to be far and few between, while only 10 percent see no chance of finding work or have no interest in doing so.

“The majority of this group of Ukrainians are highly qualified,” says Tetyana Panchenko, a specialist at the ifo Center for International Institutional Comparisons and Migration Research. A total of 71 percent of the respondents report having a college degree and 12 percent have vocational training.

“The age structure is another reason why so many are seeking employment,” Panchenko says. Of the survey respondents, 72 percent are between 30 and 49 years old and 11 percent are between 18 and 29. A good 93 percent are women and 65 percent are married or in a long-term relationship, although only 12 percent of the women brought their partner to Germany.

Looking at the next two years, 52 percent want to stay in Germany, 46 percent want to return to Ukraine, and a mere 2 percent want to move on to another country.

The ifo Institute conducted the survey in the period from May 23 to June 6, 2022. Respondents were approached primarily through social media, while those living in Munich and the surrounding area were interviewed in person. Because there is no general data on refugees so far, the survey cannot be said to be representative.