UKRAINIAN ECONOMIC IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES – THE SITUATION IN THE LABOUR MARKET AND AT THE WORKPLACE

In Poland, the Ukrainian community, comprising both economic immigrants and war refugees - is becoming an increasingly significant contributor to the workforce. The objective of this paper is to analyse and compare the labour market situation of both categories. The research problem addressed is to determine the extent of the differences between them and the challenges this may raise for the labour market and employers. This paper presents selected results of quantitative survey carried out among 311 immigrants from Ukraine: 150 residing in the Opole region before the start of the war in Ukraine and 161 refugees arriving in the region. The survey was carried out in November and December 2022 using an electronic survey tool. The survey results indicated a discrepancy in labour force participation between the two groups of immigrants. The data revealed that refugees were significantly more likely to be unemployed than pre-war economic immigrants. In terms of the utilisation of qualifications, refugees were more likely than pre-war immigrants to indicate that the roles they were undertaking in Poland were below their qualifications. The quality of relationships with the immediate supervisors was rated highly in both groups, with a marginally higher proportion of positive responses in the refugee group. Pre-war immigrants rated their working relationships with Poles slightly more favourably than refugees. Interestingly enough, relationships with Ukrainians at the workplace were rated slightly lower in both groups than with Polish colleagues.