The majority of Ukrainian refugees left for Poland in 2022 and 2023. During this time, the majority of able-bodied citizens found work in a neighboring country. Despite this, a third of Ukrainians still use savings accumulated in Ukraine, and some continue to work remotely for domestic companies.
In total, 60% of our fellow citizens, who received protection status in a neighboring country, have never used money earned in Ukraine during the last year. This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the international employment company Gremi Personal.
“Those who used money earned in Ukraine within 12 months – 40%. Among them, 53% say that the amount of their monthly expenses has changed, 47% have not changed their expenses. Among those who have changed the amount of expenses in Poland, 20% say , which is related to the appearance of work in Poland. 15% admitted that the money earned in Ukraine ran out, and 4% said that relatives stopped supporting them – 57 %”, – stated in the company’s report.
27% of refugees used their own savings made in Ukraine during the last year. Another 10% received money from family. In addition, 3% of our fellow citizens with protection status continue to work remotely in Ukraine.
There are currently over 900,000 Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Most of those who are already employed receive lower wages than Poles. Most of our citizens in the neighboring country receive about 5 thousand zlotys (48-49 thousand UAH) per month. At the same time, the average salary in the country is more than 7.1 thousand zlotys. In addition, a significant proportion of Ukrainians generally work for the minimum wage.
Salaries are often lower because Ukrainians choose jobs that do not require special qualifications. Employers of the neighboring country highly value Ukrainian workers and willingly hire them.
In March 2024 762.2 thousand citizens of Ukraine were employed in Poland. Over the year, the number of Ukrainians working in a neighboring country increased by 3%.
