News

The Polish Economic Institute (PEI) in December 2023 presented a report entitled: Ukrainian refugees on the Polish labour market: opportunities and obstacles. The most important findings are presented in the report:

• The employment rate of working-age war refugees from Ukraine in Poland is 65 per cent, the highest among OECD countries (much higher compared to Poland's other neighbours in Lithuania it is 53 per cent, in the Czech Republic 51 per cent, in Slovakia 34 per cent and in Germany 18 per cent). This result can be considered a major achievement, given that Ukrainian refugees active on the Polish labour market represent a broad spectrum of qualifications and work experience, which makes their professional integration a complex and diverse process.
• However, PEI's experimental study suggests that in industries that do not require specialised qualifications, employers are less likely to respond to job applications sent by Ukrainian women than Polish women. Ukrainian female candidates received almost 30 per cent fewer responses than Polish women with similar qualifications, a signal of potential unequal treatment.
• For higher-qualified positions, the difference in percentage between Polish and Ukrainian women was not statistically significant, which does not allow a clear finding of discrimination. Although Ukrainian female candidates received 25 per cent fewer responses than Polish women, the low overall response rate for applications for specialist positions (around 10 per cent) makes it difficult to interpret these results.
• The in-depth interviews conducted by PEI show that refugees in Poland are forced to confront a variety of challenges in the labour market, often requiring them to be flexible, resilient and adaptable in a new environment. One of these challenges is precisely discrimination on the basis of nationality. This manifests itself in the form of inadequate or no pay, exploitation of a weaker position in the labour market, unequal treatment and workload, up to the occurrence of harmful stereotypes. Refugees also face difficulties in having their qualifications accepted and often work below their skills or in the informal economy.
• War refugees experience significant emotional problems while facing challenges in their new place of residence in Poland. Struggling with language and cultural barriers and difficulties in securing basic livelihoods for themselves and their families is a daily reality that social and institutional support in Poland tries to alleviate. The language barrier in particular is one of the main obstacles to finding their way in the new reality and finding a job. Refugees also face the non-recognition of Ukrainian documents, certificates and diplomas, and difficulties in obtaining information about the labour market.
• Despite the challenges, there are also positive testimonies related to the work provided in Poland. Refugees perceive and appreciate the support they receive in the adaptation process. Assistance in creating a CV, adjusting to the place of employment or understanding the specifics of the labour market is a perceived and appreciated element of support.

 

A full text in Polish is available below:

  Uchodźcy z Ukrainy - a full text in Polish