An increasing number of Ukrainian nationals are finding work in Germany. However, many employees are working below their qualification level, and entry into the labor market is often delayed—for example, due to childcare and integration courses. This is according to data collected by the Mediendienst Integration information portal.
How many are working
According to the Federal Employment Agency, around 373,900 Ukrainian nationals were employed in Germany in November 2025. This includes people who arrived before 2022. According to Mediendienst Integration, most of them were employed and subject to social insurance contributions. The employment rate among all Ukrainians in the calculations was 37.5 percent.
Who is entering the labor market
According to an estimate by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the employment rate among Ukrainians between the ages of 18 and 64 who entered the country between February and August 2022 was 50 percent in mid-2025. A study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) comes to a similar conclusion: at the end of 2025, an average of 51 percent were employed (50 percent of women and 57 percent of men).
“Jobturbo” is effective
Researchers at the Immigration Policy Lab estimate that “Jobturbo” has helped around 58,000 Ukrainians find work within two years. The Immigration Policy Lab is affiliated with the Universities of Zurich (Switzerland) and Stanford (USA) and works on migration issues. According to the Integration Media Service, more frequent consultations at job centers are cited as one factor contributing to faster job placement.
How many are unemployed?
In January 2026, around 219,000 Ukrainians were registered as unemployed. A total of around 523,000 Ukrainians were recorded as being fit for work. However, according to the data collection, more than half of them were temporarily unavailable for the labor market – for example, due to childcare, integration courses, or training and further education.
Language and courses
In July 2025, around 63,600 Ukrainians were enrolled in integration courses and were therefore unable to work. According to the Media Service for Integration, a total of around 350,000 Ukrainians have completed an integration course, with around 90 percent achieving language level A2 or B1.
Often not in their trained profession
In a 2023/2024 survey, 52 percent of men and 58 percent of women stated that they had a university or technical college degree. At the same time, 50 percent of men and 57 percent of women reported working below their qualifications. According to data from the Federal Employment Agency, in July 2025, around 45 percent of Ukrainians were working in unskilled jobs, just under 40 percent as skilled workers, and around 15 percent as experts.
Recognition of qualifications
In 2024, 7,335 applications were submitted for the recognition of Ukrainian professional qualifications; in 40 percent of cases, the qualifications were fully recognized. In addition, there were around 45,100 applications for the evaluation of Ukrainian university degrees in 2024 – ten times as many as in 2022.
Germany in comparison with the EU
The IAB classifies the labor market integration of Ukrainians in Germany as “medium” in a European comparison. Among other things, the demand for labor, the availability of childcare, and the integration strategy are decisive factors: In Germany, language courses and recognition procedures are often the initial focus, while Poland and Denmark, for example, place greater emphasis on a “work first” approach. This means that refugees are placed in jobs more quickly.
See: https://mediendienst-integration.de/fluechtlinge/ukrainische-fluechtlinge-in-deutschland/ukrainische-fluechtlinge-am-arbeitsmarkt/
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