Lack of childcare hinders employment
In the second half of 2023, 22% of Ukrainian refugees in Germany were gainfully employed, and the trend is rising. Nevertheless, refugees face a number of challenges before they can take up employment. In addition to bureaucratic hurdles in the recognition of their qualifications, there are too few childcare places available. This specifically affects mothers with young children taking up employment: Only 23 percent of under-threes had a childcare place in 2023. These and other findings are from the latest report on the survey of Ukrainian refugees as part of “Living in Germany.”
The labor market potential of the refugees is high: 75% have a vocational or university degree, while 95% were previously employed in Ukraine. In addition, German language skills improved significantly in the second half of 2023 compared to 2022: Only 10 percent still say they speak German poorly or not at all.
“Promoting alternative childcare models could break down barriers and make it easier for many mothers to enter the labor market. Cooperative childcare networks and voluntary initiatives could play a decisive role in this,” says Sabine Zinn, acting director of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), as the “Living in Germany” study is also known.