Germany calls to cancel social benefits for Ukrainians, but a third of them are already working
4 August 2025 15:36
The head of the government of the German federal state of Bavaria, Markus Söder, has called for an end to social assistance for Ukrainian refugees. In his opinion, these payments reduce the motivation of Ukrainians to find work.
The politician made this statement during an interview with the German TV channel ZDF, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citingYevropeiska Pravda.
He justified his idea with an ethical desire to help, first of all, Ukrainian refugees themselves.
“We need to act so that Ukrainians no longer receive social assistance. This support leads to the fact that many of them do not want to find a job, despite having a quality education,”
– Söder explained his position.
At the same time, ZDF released statistics: as of May 2025, the share of employed Ukrainians in Germany reached 34.9%, and this figure shows a steady increase. It is worth noting that this figure correlates with the overall employment rate in Germany among refugees from all countries. Thus, employment among them during the first year of stay in the country is less than 20%, but after 7-8 years it approaches 70%.
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Ukrainians abroad
Ukraine is experiencing one of the largest migration crises in Europe since World War II. As of July 2025, 5.6 million Ukrainians have been granted official refugee status in various countries around the world due to the full-scale Russian invasion, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Germany has become the main destination for Ukrainian refugees, hosting 1.22 million people – almost a fifth of all internally displaced persons. This is due to strong social support mechanisms for refugees and a stable labor market.
Poland is in second place with 994.2 thousand Ukrainians, which has been a traditional destination for Ukrainian labor migration since the 2000s.
The Czech Republic, despite having a population of less than 11 million, has received 374,300 Ukrainians due to its high level of integration and effective government programs.
The United Kingdom has created separate long-term programs for 254,600 refugees, including the Homes for Ukraine initiative.
At the same time, France is home to only 74,100 Ukrainian refugees, which is less than expected given the size of the country’s economy.
Outside of Europe, almost half a million Ukrainians have found refuge in the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, and Latin America.
Experts note that the scale of Ukrainians’ return home will depend not only on the military situation, but also on social integration and economic opportunities in the host countries.
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