WARSAW, Poland — Poland is losing large numbers of Ukrainian refugees from its workforce as they travel to Germany to seek higher wages and government benefits in the rich Western economy, according to a report published Tuesday.
Where they choose to live impacts labor markets in European nations, which are desperate for workers and are facing demographic declines due to low birthrates. “We need men but get refugee women who are not economic migrants, they are refugees. This is a different type of migration,” said Kubisiak, who was not a participant in the research. “They look for a place to live, not to work.”
That has changed. According to European Union statistics, there were 1.1 million Ukrainian citizens registered in Germany at the end of June, compared to 975,000 in Poland. That amounts to a decrease of more than 350,000 in Poland since August 2022, while the number has grown more than 410,000 in Germany.Of the 350,000 who left Poland, 150,000 went to Germany, according to the report, titled “From Poland to Germany. New Trends in Ukrainian Refugee Migration.