Ukrainians in Czech Republic work in the most unskilled jobs: media investigation

Language barriers, bureaucracy and social isolation make them vulnerable to labour exploitation, and intermediary schemes only exacerbate this dependence. This is according to Czech Radio's online publication iRozhlas.cz. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Czech Republic has become one of the main destinations for Ukrainian refugees.

The number of foreigners in the Czech Republic in a short period of time has reached a record high of almost one million with the country's population of about 11 million. Most of them are Ukrainians with temporary protection. On the one hand, it helped to support the Czech economy. On the other hand, it made Ukrainians one of the most vulnerable groups on the labour market.

Despite the high demand for workers, Ukrainians are mostly employed in unskilled and heavy jobs - in construction, cleaning, caring for the elderly, trucking. Even people with higher education are often forced to accept positions that do not correspond to their professional training. The reasons for this lie in language barriers, complicated procedures for recognising diplomas, confusing bureaucracy, and the Czech market's need for cheap labour.

The Czech Republic is one of the few EU countries where the employment rate among foreigners is higher than among locals. However, this statistic is deceptive: most migrants work in the sectors with the lowest pay and in the hardest jobs. According to researchers at Charles University, the Czech economy actually relies on the labour of cheap and hardy workers from abroad.

Of particular concern is the intensification of intermediaries who offer Ukrainians work, housing and transport. In practice, this often leads to labour exploitation. People are housed in poor conditions, withheld part of their wages, and restricted in their access to medical care and social support. Human rights organisations such as Diakonie Západ record numerous cases of violations: fines for "inappropriate shoes", threats, delays in payments, unsanitary living conditions.

Such a system hinders the integration of Ukrainians into Czech society and deprives them of prospects. Despite the authorities' claims of support, in reality Ukrainian refugees often remain a cheap and powerless labour force.

As Socialportal wrote, there are currently more than 6 million Ukrainians in European countries. Most have managed to obtain legal status, basic support, access to medical care, education and the labour market. However, life in a foreign land is accompanied by many challenges, and a significant part of people still live "between two worlds". What can the state do to bring back its citizens and how they help the country those who have become part of the Ukrainian diaspora abroad. Read the answers to these and other questions in the exclusive mater on Socialportal.

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