Work opportunities are more important than social benefits for Ukrainian refugees abroad – Ifo survey

When choosing a country to live in, Ukrainian refugees pay more attention to employment opportunities and salaries than to the amount of social assistance. This is stated in a study by the Munich Institute for Economic Research (Ifo), writes german weekly magazine Spiegel.

The study surveyed more than 3,300 Ukrainian refugees in different European countries.

According to Ms. Putvaara, Head of the Ifo Center for Migration and Development Economics, the prospects of getting a job in the specialty and higher salaries influence the choice of a country much more than government payments or social benefits.

The difference in wages between countries is almost four times greater than the difference in social benefits.

For example, if the average salary in a country is 500 euros higher, the likelihood of Ukrainian refugees choosing that country increases by nine percentage points.

Personal connections also remain important. If friends or relatives already live in the country, the chances of choosing this place increase by eight and a half percentage points – even more than in the case of geographical proximity to Ukraine.

The researchers note that cutting social benefits as a way to reduce the attractiveness of certain countries for refugees has little effect.

• april 15, Merz declared its intention to to reduce the number of new asylum seekers in the country to less than 100,000 people per year.
• july 14 Mertz advocated for stricter conditions to provide state social assistance (Bürgergeld) the program, in particular, is provided to refugees from Ukraine.
• on August 5, it was reported that more than a third of Ukrainian citizens in Germany had temporary protection status, have a job.