The level of financial independence and Ukrainian citizens’ integration into the Polish economy has reached its highest level in the last three years. The majority of Ukrainians in the neighboring country no longer depend on social benefits or assistance from benefactors and are entirely self-sufficient. However, they are reducing remittances to their homeland. This is evidenced by the data of a large-scale study by the National Bank of Poland (NBP).
According to a survey covering 4,000 respondents across all Polish voivodeships, work has become the main source of income for our fellow citizens.
- Among pre-war labor migrants, 92% live exclusively on wages.
- Among refugees, this figure reached 78%.
Analysts record a decrease in the unemployment rate among Ukrainians and their transition to more stable employment. Compatriots are increasingly less likely to accept low-skilled work, and the dynamics of their salary growth align with the general trends of the Polish economy. The highest incomes were recorded in IT, construction, and transport sectors, where men traditionally predominate.
Despite the positive dynamics, there is a serious structural problem: 36% of refugees work below their level of qualification. Experts call this phenomenon the loss of human capital.
One of the main markers of integration has been the solution to the housing issue. In 2025, 81% of Ukrainians in Poland will provide themselves with housing on their own:
- 72% – rent apartments or rooms;
- 9% have already purchased their own real estate.
In collective housing centers, mainly people aged 45 and over remain, who find it more challenging to adapt. This is also facilitated by overcoming the language barrier: 63% of respondents reported a good or fluent command of Polish, and only 4% admitted not knowing it at all.
The National Bank of Poland records a worrying trend for the Ukrainian economy: the frequency and volume of money transfers to Ukraine are decreasing. Ukrainians are increasingly investing in their lives in Poland, as life there is becoming more expensive, and short-term plans for return are becoming fewer.
