Ukrainian refugees integrate into EU labor market faster than previous migrants - IMF
MOSCOW. Oct 23 (Interfax) - The process of integrating Ukrainian refugees into the European Union's labor market in 2022-2023 has been much faster than it was seen during previous waves of refugees, Ukrainian media quoted an updated World Economic Outlook (WEO) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published on Tuesday.
"Several countries have already estimated employment rates among Ukrainian refugees at about or above 50 percent, which is usually achieved only five or more years after arrival (OECD 2023). Migrants have helped meet unprecedented labor demand during this period," the statement said.
Immigrants took up around two-thirds of the jobs created in the EU between late 2019 and late 2023, while the unemployment rate among EU citizens remained at record lows, it said.
The EU Temporary Protection Directive, higher education diplomas in the majority of Ukrainian refugees and the strained labor market situation in many EU countries played a decisive role in the rapid integration of refugees, it said.
"Nevertheless, as is common in regard to immigrants, there is evidence of widespread worker overqualification and skills mismatches (EMN 2024), which points to further room for improvement in immigrant integration policies," it said.
This experience offers important political lessons, it said. Providing asylum seekers with early access to private and public sector labor markets and self-employment, as has been done under the current temporary protection regime for Ukrainian refugees, is key to their early integration into the workforce. The availability of language courses is also crucial for immigrants to overcome one of the most important barriers to employment, it added. Finally, simplified employment requirements for enrolling in certain regulated occupations, skill validation and recognition of qualifications are also essential elements for the successful integration of refugees, it said.
According to updated statistics provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe was estimated at 6.192 million and 6.752 million globally as of October 15 this year.
The EU statistical office, Eurostat, said that 4,163,660 citizens of non-EU countries who left Ukraine after February 2022 had temporary protection status in the EU countries as of August 31, 2024.
