Alexandra Fedosha, who lives in the city of Ostfildern in the German province of Baden-Württemberg, fled the war in Ukraine with her family three years ago. Today she works in the office of a spice company. The products are exported, including to Eastern Europe, Fedosha is useful because she speaks Ukrainian.
She is happy with her job, ARD tells ARD. In Ukraine, she had her own company for the wholesale trade of sand and gravel. In Germany, however, she had to start all over again - she first worked as a saleswoman. But - as she herself says - it is definitely better to work than to receive social benefits. Her diploma in economics was recognized without any major problems.
However, her husband Ruslan was not so lucky. He was a dentist in Ukraine, but in Germany he was only allowed to work as a dental assistant because his diploma was never recognized. He is not giving up and is hoping for the assistance of an expert who will compare the curricula in Germany and Ukraine.
Some cannot work, others do not want to
In July this year, there were 68,200 able-bodied Ukrainians in the state of Baden-Württemberg receiving social benefits (the so-called Bürgergeld). However, most of them - over two thirds - are not on the labor market because they are studying, attending integration courses or are busy caring for children or the elderly.
In May, the employment rate for Ukrainians in Baden-Württemberg was 36.5 percent, ARD reported, meaning that more than a third were working. In this indicator, Germany occupies an average position compared to other European countries. In Denmark, for example, Ukrainians start working much faster.
As Yulia Kosyakova from the Federal Employment Agency explained to the German public media, in Denmark, however, it is about low-paid jobs and poor working conditions. “There are countries like Switzerland or Norway, where the quota of working Ukrainians is not high. But they, like Germany, rely on sustainability, i.e. first of all on mastering the language, which in the long run has a positive effect and leads to permanently higher quotas of workers.“
Alexandra Fedosha and her husband Ruslan believe that it is completely normal for both members of the family to work. But they know of cases in which Ukrainian refugees clearly stated that they would prefer to receive social benefits rather than look for work. However, according to them, such people are more likely to be exceptions, writes ARD.
Asylum benefits instead of social benefits
Refugees from Ukraine who have arrived in Germany since April will no longer receive social benefits, but will receive so-called asylum benefits. For a person without a family, this means that in the future he will receive 441 euros per month, instead of the previous 563 euros. The idea is - lower benefits should motivate Ukrainian refugees to start working faster.
According to Kosyakova, there is no direct connection between the amount of benefits and whether Ukrainians in Germany work - other reasons played a greater role. “These are of course individual factors - such as whether they know the language, whether their professional qualifications are recognized, for women - the opportunities to rely on childcare, and from a general economic perspective it is also important for the economy to provide assistance. "It's just that the economic situation is bad at the moment, and this naturally leads to worse chances for newcomers to integrate into the labor market," she says.
Looking for work in vain
In Stuttgart, Natalia Brinenko has never found a job on the labor market. She arrived in Germany in April 2022. She has been a Ukrainian teacher for 24 years and would like to work with children in Germany too - for example, in a kindergarten or as an assistant at a school.
Brinenko already has the necessary experience, ARD tells ARD: she has worked for free for months in a primary school and a kindergarten - voluntarily and as an intern. But it seems almost impossible to find a real job with the appropriate salary.
She has written countless job applications, but has only received rejections or no response at all. And she would rather work and not rely on benefits. "There is a big difference between getting money and making money. I would like to earn my own money," Brinenko said, quoted by ARD. She has not yet given up hope of finding a job and not being dependent on state benefits in the future.
Author: Thomas Eberding ARD