Job opportunities are more important to refugees from Ukraine than social benefits, a survey over Ukrainians in Europe finds
Job opportunities are more important to refugees from Ukraine than social benefits, a survey over Ukrainians in Europe finds
Job opportunities are more important to refugees from Ukraine than social benefits | ifo Institute
Ukrainian refugees prefer countries with better job opportunities to countries with higher social benefits. This is the finding of a recent study by the ifo Institute, which surveyed over 3,300 Ukrainian refugees in Europe.
“The prospect of a job that matches their qualifications and a higher wage level has a much stronger effect on refugees than social assistance or child benefits,” says Panu Poutvaara, Director of the ifo Center for Migration and Development Economics. “We see that wage differences play an almost four times greater role in the choice of destination country of Ukrainian refugees than differences in social benefits. That, of course, does not mean that social benefits play no role at all.”
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Job opportunities and higher wages are decisive factors also to refugees who are currently unemployed. They apparently plan to enter the labor market in the future. In addition, friends or family in the destination country are 8.5 percentage points more important than immediate geographical proximity to Ukraine. Intentions to return also play a role. Refugees who plan to settle outside Ukraine in the long term prefer countries further away with economic advantages over countries where family and friends are located.
“Understanding why refugees choose certain countries is crucial for designing appropriate policies nationally and internationally,” says Yvonne Giesing, Deputy Director of the ifo Center for Migration and Development Economics. One example of this is the debate about cutting social benefits to make fleeing to certain countries less attractive. However, the study shows that higher wages and easier access to suitable jobs are a greater incentive for refugees than social benefits. Therefore, cuts in social benefits are likely to have little effect. “Cutting government aid could also have a negative impact on integration in the long term,” says Giesing.
This seems obvious, but i guess at the same time necessary that it is backed by data. Refugees for the vast majority want to stand on their own feet and want to contribute to society. The far right tactics of denying them access to the job market in some countries is set up to deliberately fail both the refugees and the native population and then instrumentalize the fallout
I fully agree. I just posted an article in this community right before this one that I find very illuminating and discusses also this issue (here again).