More than a million people from Ukraine have sought refuge from Russia’s invasion in Germany. Many are women with their children. Picture Alliance
More than a million people from Ukraine have sought refuge in Germany after Russia’s invasion.
When it comes to integrating them, Germany takes a different approach than it does for refugees from other countries. Ukrainians are allowed to work here immediately. Great value is also placed on German courses.
Experts rate the interim results as positive: three quarters of the refugees are learning German. 18 percent have already found work. 44 percent of those surveyed want to stay in Germany permanently.
A good year after the start of the Ukraine war, the situation of Ukrainian refugees in Germany has improved significantly, and integration is progressing. The vast majority of the more than one million refugees live in private apartments and take part in language and integration courses. More and more Ukrainian refugees are finding work. The proportion of Ukrainian refugees who want to stay in Germany long-term has risen from 39 to 44 percent since the summer of 2022.
These are the most important results of the second major survey of refugees from Ukraine in Germany. The study is a joint research project of the Institute for Labor Market and Vocational Research (IAB), the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin).
“The interim conclusion is quite encouraging – social participation has made significant progress,” said Markus Grabka from the DIW. “However, this is not a sure-fire success,” added Yuliya Kosyakova from the IAB. “The refugees need planning security as to whether they are allowed to stay in Germany in the long term – even when the war is over. Perspectives are extremely important, especially for learning German and taking up employment.” The right of residence for refugees from the Ukraine is currently limited to March 2024. The experts called for clarity to be quickly established as to how people can then proceed.
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Refugees from Ukraine: Integration is progressing
In the survey, 44 percent stated that they wanted to stay in Germany in the long term. Compared to the first survey in late summer 2022, that is five percentage points more. The family situation plays a central role in this. Most of the refugees are women with their children, whose husbands often still live in Ukraine.
Significant progress has been made, especially when it comes to learning the German language: three out of four people affected have attended German courses. According to their own assessment, their knowledge of German has improved: only a few refugees, at eight percent, attest that they have “very good” or “good” knowledge of German. However, the proportion who answered “it works” doubled to 27 percent. The percentage of people who state that they do not speak German at all has more than halved to 18 percent.
The employment rate of Ukrainian refugees rose only slightly compared to late summer 2022 from 17 to 18 percent of 18 to 64 year olds. But this is mainly due to the fact that those people in particular who already spoke sufficient German quickly found a job. More than two thirds of Ukrainian refugees who have not yet been gainfully employed want to do so immediately or within the next year. According to the experts, the high participation in language and integration courses improves their chances on the job market.
This should then have a positive effect on household income. The average was 850 euros. The median value, i.e. the income right in the middle, was only 750 euros among the Ukrainian refugees and is therefore less than half as high as in the population in Germany.
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At well over 90 percent, almost all school-age children from Ukraine in Germany attend a general or vocational school. At the beginning of 2023, every second child under the age of six was in a day-care center. “A sufficient supply of daycare places is important for the large group of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. For parents to attend language courses and
to be able to take up work – and for children to learn the language, to have a structured everyday life and to find friends,” said Andreas Ette, from the BiB.
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In addition, the most important recommendation to politicians is to decide quickly whether to extend the temporary protection of Ukrainian refugees beyond March 2024 or to create other long-term residence prospects. “Investments in social participation and employment require reliable prospects of residence, both for
refugees themselves and for German society,” the researchers summarize.
You can find more details about the survey and the methodology of the study here.
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