Challenges of refugee integration in the EU labor market

1. “Travel to Ukraine: How Tourism Adapts to New Realities” – exploring how the Ukrainian tourism sector is coping with war-related disruptions, evolving into forms like aid and war tourism, and adjusting marketing, safety, and service strategies to survive.
2. “Access to Labour Markets and Employment in Europe for Ukrainian Refugees” – providing a data-driven overview of refugee distribution, employment conditions, barriers such as language and qualification recognition, and steps taken by EU countries to support refugee integration.
3. “Ukrainian Job-seekers Respond: Needs, Aspirations and Future Prospects” – presenting findings from a survey of 30 Ukrainian refugees across 7 EU countries, offering insight into their employment experiences, job search challenges, and essential support needs for successful integration.

Participants engaged in targeted break-out discussions on employment guarantees, national-level job brokerage challenges, and aligning refugees aspirations with EU tourism labour market needs.

Presentation 3_Refugees` Respond.pptx – Παρουσιάσεις Google 

1. Only 15% contacted formal job brokers; most relied on informal networks or found jobs independently. Indicates a lack of integration into official employment services.
2. Work proposals of job brokers very often didn’t match the aspirations and desires of the refugees who were applying for.
3. The Ukrainian refugees need to obtain guarantees of getting into employment while having a temporary or seasonal job that is vital for tourism and hospitality sectors.
4. Refugees want jobs aligned with their qualifications, but in most cases it is impossible because of several reasons.
5. Key obstacles: low language proficiency, lack of diploma recognition, few suitable job offers, unfamiliar hiring processes.
6. Refugees desire employment that reflects their qualifications, with stable income and flexibility (especially for childcare). They call for language training, simplified nostrification (qualification recognition), legal support, career guidance and personalized job placement services.
7. Despite hopes of returning home, many refugees are open to long-term integration and see career potential in host countries—provided support structures exist.
8. More than 5,982,900 Ukrainians asked EU countries for temporally protection.
9. Most Ukrainian refugees are highly educated (71% with university degrees), digitally literate, and professionally experienced—yet their skills are underutilized.
10. 71% of Ukrainian refugees hold university degrees, with most being women. Despite qualifications, many are employed below their skill level in roles like hospitality, agriculture, and logistics.
11. Although Ukrainian refugees have the right to work in all EU countries, there are differences in social assistance systems.
12. Many refugees work in low-skilled jobs (e.g., cleaning, warehousing) despite holding master’s degrees. There’s a disconnect between qualifications and job opportunities.
13. Key challenges include limited language proficiency, childcare responsibilities, legal status issues, and the mismatch between skills and available jobs. Many refugees lack access to training and job search support.