Ukrainian Action Ireland recently presented the results of their most recent survey, which is the third of its kind, and also the largest survey to date of Ukrainians who found protection from the war here in Ireland.
Over 17,000 Ukrainians are currently working full-time jobs in Ireland. The survey focused on employment and the data collected shows encouraging trends towards integration. It also calls on the Irish Government for increased support in areas that will help the rates of employment rise further, such as access to public transport, widespread provision of English language courses and mentoring throughout the job seeking process.
Ukrainian Action in Ireland
Ukrainian Action was set up by Irish and Ukrainian volunteers who came together to help Ukrainians in need and foster Irish-Ukrainian friendship. Striving to be the Ukrainian voice and action in Ireland, the team works on various projects from encouraging the integration of Ukrainians into Irish society, to facilitating Irish-Ukrainian cultural collaboration, as well as providing humanitarian relief to Ukrainians here and at home.
Following the success and value of their two previous surveys in 2022 and 2023, the most recent survey was open to Ukrainians in Ireland at the beginning of this year. Its purpose was to evaluate the current situation of Ukrainians who live here, with a special focus on employment. The survey in 2023 covered integration while in 2022, data collected was used to gain a general understanding of how arrivals from Ukraine were settling in Ireland.
The survey received 4,678 responses from adults who represented 3,651 children, bringing the total number of Ukrainians represented to 8,329. This is 10% of all Ukrainians who found protection here and are living here in Ireland.
Why Ireland?
When asked why respondents chose to seek protection from the war in Ireland, the top 4 responses were as follows:
76.7% were encouraged by English being the main language of communication
43% were encouraged by the accommodation support from the State
41.6% found comfort in Ireland being geographically very far away from Russia
40.6% had friends/relatives/acquaintances already living here
Incredibly, between 2023 and 2024, the responses show a 12% increase in those living in hosted accommodation, as well as a 10% decrease in those living in accommodation provided by the state. Results also showed a 3% rise in the number of Ukrainians now renting in Ireland.
53% of respondents plan to stay in Ireland long-term, showing a 12% increase from the previous year when only 41% wished to stay. The number of respondents who are planning to return home to Ukraine decreased from 25.5% last year to 19% this year. The number of respondents living in hosted accommodation and are employed has risen from 31.1% in 2023 to 45.7% in 2024.
Key Insights & Calls to Action
Despite that almost half of the respondents (43%) are currently employed, only 9% of those are in their profession. Almost all (94%) of those who are unemployed plan to work in Ireland but due to lack of resources and issues with accessibility, find themselves struggling to reach that milestone.
Through this survey, Ukrainian Action have identified barriers to employment and have provided action points to which they strongly encourage the Irish Government to respond to:
A deficit in English fluency affects multiple areas of integration, including employment.
Action: Introduce evening and online classes to increase the number of hours of classes.
Lack of public transport is one of the biggest obstacles to employment for Ukrainians.
Action: Prioritise state-sponsored accommodation with action to public transport.
Ukrainians are well-educated and skilled but many struggle to navigate the Irish job market.
Action: Educate Irish employers about the capabilities and skill sets of the Ukrainian community.
Ukrainians face cultural differences during the job search process and throughout employment.
Action: Devise mentorship programs during the entire job search period, hands on assistance with CV writing and webinars/seminars covering what can be expected during the job search in Ireland.
Thank you to Ireland
Overwhelmingly, 93% of Ukrainians surveyed are grateful to Irish people and our government. We are similarly thankful to Ukrainian Action for their incredible hard work planning this survey and producing the data which will stand by themselves, the work of all organisations in the Ukraine Civil Society Forum, and ourselves here at Helping Irish Hosts, as we strive in unison towards the positive integration of Ukrainians in Ireland.
