New Study | 16.02.2023How do refugees from Ukraine live in Germany?

Since the war began almost a year ago, more than one million people have fled Ukraine to Germany. The framework conditions for Ukrainian nationals differ for refugees from other countries of origin. With the activation of the so-called “Temporary Protection Directive” by the EU, planning security was quickly created. This makes it possible for Ukrainian refugees to take up gainful employment or attend language courses immediately after their arrival. This provides good opportunities for integration. After all, 37 percent of Ukrainians would like to stay in Germany permanently or for at least several years.

Good prospects among Ukrainian women

The majority of refugee adults from Ukraine are women (80 percent). Almost one in two lives with at least one minor child in the household. Many are left to fend for themselves in everyday life: Three-quarters of women with minor children live without a partner in Germany. The educational level of refugee men and women is high. 72 percent have a university degree. They also have work experience in highly qualified professions with greater responsibility: before fleeing, many were employed as managers, scientists or technicians. Therefore, the prerequisites for participation in the labor market are good. And a clear majority of women would like to take up gainful employment.

Childcare facilitates women's participation

Refugee women from Ukraine are on the whole less likely to be gainfully employed than men - especially if their children do not attend a childcare facility or an educational institution. Mothers of younger children who do not have access to childcare tend to attend language courses later. Yet it is precisely these women who would benefit from having their children cared for in a childcare facility: When refugee children attend daycare or school, this also strengthens their psychological well-being.

Overall, children and adolescents from Ukraine are already attending German schools very frequently; this applies to nine out of ten families with school-age children. In particular, the proportion of elementary school children is high.

The picture is different when it comes to the care of children before they start school: only about one in five Ukrainian children under the age of 3 has so far attended a daycare centre, compared with just under 60 percent of those between the ages of 3 and starting school.

An important finding of the study is therefore that access to formal childcare can facilitate the participation and integration of Ukrainian women in Germany.

Background of the study

• Since February 24, 2022, more than one million people have fled Ukraine to Germany. The general conditions of the flight from Ukraine to Germany differ in many respects from the arrival of refugees in the past.
• The research project “Refugees from Ukraine in Germany” establishes a representative longitudinal survey – IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP survey – and creates a reliable data basis to study the integration and participation of Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
• The IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP survey is a joint project of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Research Center of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ) and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at DIW Berlin. For this study, 11,763 refugees from Ukraine were interviewed between August and October 2022.
• The first results of the study were already published in December 2022. This report is the comprehensive results report on the study. The second survey wave started in mid-January 2023.