Employment rate of Ukrainian refugees in Netherlands reaches 59%

As of 1 November 2024, 59% of over 92,000 refugees aged 15 to 65 with Ukrainian citizenship were employed in the Netherlands.

According to the Statistics Netherlands (CBS), this figure is higher than the previous year when, as of 1 November 2023, the employment rate stood at 55%.

Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the Netherlands following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022 do not need work permits. This makes them an exception compared to other migrants from outside the European Union or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.

Ukrainian refugees aged 25 to 45 were the most frequently employed, while the least employed were young people aged 15 to 25. Employment rates among men and women were nearly identical.

More than half of Ukrainian refugees worked full-time (35 hours or more per week), and 15 percent of them worked 30-35 hours a week.

Most Ukrainian refugees were employed in the business services sector (50%), which includes employment agencies. It is often difficult to determine the specific sector where temporary workers are placed. Besides business services, a significant number of Ukrainian refugees also worked in trade, transport, and accommodation and food services sectors (32%).

The Dutch government believes that Ukrainians working and paying taxes in the country, thus making a "maximum contribution", should be allowed to stay in the Netherlands longer.

Czechia, Germany and Poland may set up return centres to help Ukrainian refugees get back to their homeland.