Facts: Ukrainian refugees in Sweden
68 percent are women, 32 percent men.
72 percent intend to stay where they currently live. 8 percent want to move within Sweden. 28 percent are positive about returning to Ukraine when or if it is safe enough.
50 percent have at least one child, and the same number are married.
A majority, 66 percent, came to Sweden in March 2023. Only 6 percent have arrived in 2023.
63 percent have university education.
56 percent of the able-bodied part of the refugees has a job. 68 percent of the men have a job and 50 percent of the women.
Source: UN Organization for Migration (IOM).
IN the questionnaire survey carried out by the UN’s Migration Organization (IOM) on behalf of the Government Office – roughly 4,700 Ukrainian refugees have had to answer questions about how they experience their situation in Sweden.
56 percent of refugees of working age state themselves that they have a job. This is a higher percentage than has been seen before.
— 56 percent after one year is a lot. It usually takes longer than that. It’s off to a very good start for this group. As time goes by, they will probably be well integrated into the Swedish labor market, says Mats Hammarstedt, professor of economics at Linnaeus University and the Institute for Business Research.
This is the situation on the labor market for Ukrainian refugees in Sweden. More highly educated
Many Ukrainians who have come to Sweden are highly educated. 63 percent state that they have studied at university. The proportion of highly educated Ukrainian refugees is actually higher in Sweden than in many other countries in Europe, the report shows.
It may be that they have made an active choice and come to Sweden because of the country’s security system and opportunities to get a job, according to the report authors.
Actually, it is not surprising that so many have managed to find work, according to Hammarstedt. Refugees from other countries in Europe are often integrated into the labor market faster than refugees with a non-European background.
— We have seen that historically when it came to refugees from Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Bosnia in the early 90s. It can be due to several things. The education system in those countries is closer to the Swedish one. There is also less risk of being selected because of name, and the discrimination is somewhat less, says Hammarstedt.
380 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Karlskrona on the Stena Line ferry from Gdynia March 10, 2022. Language course the greatest need
The refugees from Ukraine have a temporary residence permit with the support of the EU’s mass migration directive. This means that they have quickly received a residence permit, housing and the right to work.
However, they have not been entitled to SFI education. And language barriers are the biggest obstacle when looking for a job, according to the refugees themselves. Language teaching also comes first when the group gets to identify their greatest needs.
— It is clear that it would have been good to have access to SFI. But the figures in the report indicate that it has still gone quite well for this group, says Mats Hammarstedt.
In the spring amendment budget for 2023, the government proposed an extra 100 million specifically for SFI education for Ukrainian refugees.
Many refugees from Ukraine today have jobs for which they are overqualified. Among the most common jobs are, for example, cleaners and construction workers.
— In recent years, relatively many people with a short education have come to Sweden, but it also happens that foreign-born people are overqualified for their professions. Especially if they have been in Sweden for a short time. But they have jobs, and in time they will also have professional careers. Research shows that, says Hammarstedt.
Mats Hammarstedt, professor of economics at Linnaeus University and the Institute for Business Research. Does not want to go back
More men (68 percent) than women (50 percent) have work. At the same time, more than a quarter of the refugees are single women with one or more children.
— If you come alone with children, you don’t have the same opportunities to look for a job as if you come as a family and can share family responsibilities.
Most of the refugees from Ukraine want to stay in Sweden, the survey shows. Just under a third are positive about returning to Ukraine when or if it becomes safe enough in the future.
Since the outbreak of war, approximately 55,000 Ukrainian citizens have applied for protection under the EU’s mass migration directive in Sweden. Approximately 38,000 are currently estimated to be in the country.