Exceeding expenses - Czechia's income from Ukrainian refugees

Photo: Rally in support of Ukraine in Czechia (gettyimages.com)

Ukrainian refugees in Czechia already bring in more income than the state spends on assistance for those fleeing war, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the country reports.

In the first quarter of 2024, revenues to the budget from refugees almost doubled expenditures.

Ukrainians who have received temporary protection in Czechia are already contributing to the Czech budget. In the first three months of 2024, refugees paid nearly 3 billion crowns more to the state treasury than was spent on social and humanitarian aid.

According to the Czech Ministry of Finance, this amount could have been used to build 10 km of highways or add 1,200 crowns (48 euros) per year to all pensioners. If in 2022, expenses on Ukrainian refugees amounted to 25 billion crowns, and revenues were 12.6 billion, then in 2023 these figures almost equaled: 21.6 billion and 21 billion crowns respectively.

“For this year, we have data for the first quarter. Revenues amounted to 6.4 billion crowns, expenses 3.5 billion,” said Magdalena Klimešová, an analyst at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

This means that the state received 2.9 billion crowns (approximately 117 million euros) more than it spent on refugees.

Labor market analysts note that Czech companies are mostly satisfied with the work of foreigners. Over 85% of them speak positively about their experience working with Ukrainians. Only 10% of employers have a negative experience.

According to the latest official data, there are almost 350,000 Ukrainian refugees in Czechia. Of these, 118,000 are employed. In 90% of cases, these are employment relationships where social contributions are paid to the state. According to sociological surveys, up to 30% of Ukrainian refugees have more than one job in Czechia, but very often they work in low-skilled positions.