Overview
- Employment among Ukrainians who arrived between February and May 2022 reached 51% by early summer 2025, up from 16% in late summer 2022, according to the Federal Institute for Population Research.
- The longitudinal study spans six survey waves since 2022 with more than 6,000 participants and about 40,000 interviews, identifying German language skills and social contacts as key drivers of job entry.
- Roughly 1.2 million protection-seeking Ukrainians currently live in Germany, and researchers say their generally high qualifications represent a potential resource for a labor market short of skilled workers.
- New inflows have risen again: BAMF figures reported by Focus show nationwide entries climbing from 7,834 in June to 18,579 in September, with Saxony also recording a marked jump in registrations.
- Political pressure is building to tighten benefit access, even as city leaders warn that shifting Ukrainians from Bürgergeld to asylum-level support would strain municipal budgets and risk slowing labor-market integration; coalition reforms have yet to take effect.