Nearly half of Ukrainian refugees in Germany plan long-term stay
Nearly half of the Ukrainian refugees in Germany plan to stay long-term, a survey published on Wednesday showed.
More than a million Ukrainians have arrived in Germany since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, mostly woman and children.
In a survey published by the DIW Berlin economic institute, 44 percent of the refugees questioned said they intended to stay in Germany for at least several more years or permanently.
In a similar survey carried out in the summer of 2022, the figure had stood at 39 percent.
The new survey questioned nearly 7,000 Ukrainian refugees aged 18-70 across Germany.
Those who had good German knowledge, education prospects and felt welcome in the country were more likely to say they could see themselves staying forever.
Ukrainians whose partner had stayed behind in the war-torn country were more likely to say they wanted to go back, according to the survey results.
READ ALSO: Germany records almost a million Ukrainian refugees
By the start of 2023, three out of four respondents had completed one or more language and integration courses, although just eight percent described their German level as "good" or "very good".
Of the 18- to 64-year-olds, 18 percent had found a job -- just one percentage point higher compared with the earlier survey.
Of those who were not employed at the start of the year, more than two thirds expected to find work in the near future.
The survey was part of a joint project by the DIW, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the Federal Institute for Population Research and the German Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
While the survey results were encouraging, the successful integration of Ukrainians into German society was by no means "a given", Yuliya Kosyakova of the IAB said in the press release.
READ ALSO: ‘Happy to work here’: How refugees in Germany are easing labour shortage
"The refugees need planning certainty as to whether they will be allowed to stay in Germany long term, even after the war has ended," she said.
Having long-term prospects was "enormously important, especially for learning German and taking up gainful employment," she added.
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More than a million Ukrainians have arrived in Germany since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, mostly woman and children.
In a survey published by the DIW Berlin economic institute, 44 percent of the refugees questioned said they intended to stay in Germany for at least several more years or permanently.
In a similar survey carried out in the summer of 2022, the figure had stood at 39 percent.
The new survey questioned nearly 7,000 Ukrainian refugees aged 18-70 across Germany.
Those who had good German knowledge, education prospects and felt welcome in the country were more likely to say they could see themselves staying forever.
Ukrainians whose partner had stayed behind in the war-torn country were more likely to say they wanted to go back, according to the survey results.
READ ALSO: Germany records almost a million Ukrainian refugees
By the start of 2023, three out of four respondents had completed one or more language and integration courses, although just eight percent described their German level as "good" or "very good".
Of the 18- to 64-year-olds, 18 percent had found a job -- just one percentage point higher compared with the earlier survey.
Of those who were not employed at the start of the year, more than two thirds expected to find work in the near future.
The survey was part of a joint project by the DIW, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the Federal Institute for Population Research and the German Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
While the survey results were encouraging, the successful integration of Ukrainians into German society was by no means "a given", Yuliya Kosyakova of the IAB said in the press release.
READ ALSO: ‘Happy to work here’: How refugees in Germany are easing labour shortage
"The refugees need planning certainty as to whether they will be allowed to stay in Germany long term, even after the war has ended," she said.
Having long-term prospects was "enormously important, especially for learning German and taking up gainful employment," she added.
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