On June 2, 2023, the conference “Citizens of Ukraine in Poland and the Polish labour market. New challenges and prospects”. The event was organized by the Faculty of International Relations, in particular the Department of International Economic Relations, the Center for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw, the EWL Migration Platform and the EWL Labor Market Support Fund.
The conference participants were greeted by the Dean of the Faculty of International Relations of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Markiyan Malskyi. “Today we have to discuss the second stage of a large sociological study about the lives of our Ukrainians who found refuge in Poland, fleeing the horrors of war. We thank the Polish people, the Polish state: they did what the world did not expect, and even more so the calm and well-fed Western Europe – our old historical neighbour accepted millions of Ukrainians and provided them with protection and means of livelihood. It seems to me that the results of this study are captivating because they demonstrate that Ukrainians, as a European nation, highly educated and professional, are quite competitive in the Polish labour market,” noted Mariyan Malsky and emphasized the importance of creating strong trade and economic ties between Ukraine and Poland.
The director of the Center for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw, Professor Jan Malitsky, also addressed the audience. He emphasized that Ukrainians who came to Poland as a result of the full-scale invasion of Russia do not abuse the hospitality of the Poles, but actively look for work and become part of the labour market. “Last year, when millions of Ukrainians came to Poland, we were worried about what to do with such a large number of people. Today, analyzing the results of the study, we see that 78% of Ukrainian refugees have already found a job and are working in Poland. And those who have not found employment are mainly mothers with young children,” Yan Malitsky emphasized and noted that such results demonstrate that Ukrainians, even after all the trials that have befallen their lot, strive to develop, work and achieve success.
The results of the study were commented on by the experts of the Center for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw and the EWL Migration Platform – the director of international recruitment of the EWL Migration Platform Marcin Kolodzejczyk and the spokeswoman of the EWL Migration Platform Margarita Sytnyk.
During the event, the attendees discussed the research conducted by the EWL Migration Platform, the EWL Foundation and the Center for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw on the order of the Office of the Prime Minister of Poland during March 4-13, 2023. During the work, it was possible to interview 500 adult citizens of Ukraine who are currently in Poland: both those who arrived in Poland before the start of the full-scale invasion and forced migrants who arrived in the country after February 24, 2022.
In general, in the study, experts touched on important issues that create a real image of a Ukrainian migrant. For example, researchers studied how Ukrainian citizens in Poland assess their financial situation, how the portrait of Ukrainians has changed recently and found whether Ukrainians plan to apply for permanent residence in Poland and Polish citizenship. The researchers also outlined what most motivates Ukrainians to return to Ukraine after the end of the war and how the percentage of Ukrainian citizens who work by qualification has changed.
We will remind you that earlier at the faculty of international relations there was already a presentation of another study, which concerns the adaptation of war refugees from Ukraine in Poland.