Ukrainian refugees helped Poland and the Czech Republic to reduce unemployment at record levels
7 March 2025 14:07
The unemployment rate in Poland and the Czech Republic fell to 2.6%, reaching a historic low. The number of unemployed in Poland is only 464 thousand people, and in the Czech Republic – 139 thousand. This is the lowest figure among all EU countries. This is reported by the analytical center of the international employment company Gremi Personal, citing Eurostat data, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
For comparison, in Germany, the unemployment rate is 3%, while the highest rate among the Eurozone countries is recorded in Spain – 10%. In Sweden, the rate reaches 8.9%, and in Greece and Finland – 8.7%.
What explains the low unemployment rate in Poland and the Czech Republic
According to experts, this result was achieved due to a combination of several factors, including stable economic growth, active government policy in the labor market, and, of course, Ukrainian refugees, mainly in Poland, contributed to this.
According to the country’s Social Insurance Office, 779 thousand working Ukrainians are registered in Poland, which is 78% of the total number of foreign nationals in Poland.
The Czech Republic has provided temporary protection to 397 thousand Ukrainians. As of December 2024, 152,762 Ukrainians were officially employed in the Czech Republic.
According to Yuriy Hryhorenko, a representative of the Gremi Personal think tank, these data are a good indication of how important the contribution of Ukrainian refugees to the European economy is.
“779 thousand employed Ukrainians in Poland and 152.7 in the Czech Republic are not just numbers, they are a huge force that supports the stability and growth of the labor market in these two countries. We see that Ukrainians are actively involved in such key industries as logistics, manufacturing and services, where their hard work and dedication play a crucial role,” emphasized Yuriy Hryhorenko.
In his opinion, it is thanks to Ukrainians that Poland has such low unemployment rates, which are record-breaking in the entire EU.
Ukrainians help the Czech budget more than the budget helps them
Since 2022, Ukrainian refugees have contributed about 54 billion CZK ($2.2 billion) to the Czech budget in taxes, social contributions, and consumer spending. This is twice as much as Prague spent on assistance to Ukrainians during this period. This was reported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of the Czech Republic.
According to the ministry, the Czech Republic provided temporary protection to 397 thousand Ukrainians. It is known that most of them currently live in Prague (almost 103 thousand people).
About 92 thousand Ukrainians continue to receive social benefits from the state. The total amount of assistance is CZK 760 million ($32 million) per month.
The Czech agency noted that in 2024, payments amounted to CZK 8 billion ($336 million). Most social assistance recipients are children, pensioners, and people with disabilities (70% of the total).
According to the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, about 150,000 Ukrainians are currently officially employed, mostly in construction or manufacturing.
The head of the ministry, Marian Jurečka, emphasizes that Ukrainian refugees help to overcome the country’s staff shortage, and that Ukrainians’ tax payments and consumer spending have a positive impact on the Czech economy.
It is reported that the total amount of Czech aid to Ukraine, including the cost of supporting Ukrainian refugees, over the three years of Russia’s full-scale invasion amounted to $2.6 billion.
