Ukrainians are able to earn much more in Europe as compared to their home country. This is the reason why so many Ukrainians seek work in Poland, Finland, and Germany.

Wages of Ukrainians at home and abroad

Labour migrants from Ukraine assisted in raising of economy in Poland by 0.5% in 2013-2018, the Warsaw School of Economics estimated. It’s about 13% of the whole growth of Polish economy during this period.

The main reason why Ukrainian workers seek jobs in Europe is the difference in wages. Labourers from Ukraine are able to earn more in European countries than they would get for a qualified work at home.

Good jobs in Ukraine, unless in the IT sector, are also hard to find.

Berry picking

According to the job website Jooble, berry-pickers are able to earn from 0.9-1 Euro to 10 Euros per 1 kg of produce.

• In Finland, pickers are paid per type of produce. Lingonberries are paid for at the rate of 1-2 Euro per kg. It’s possible to collect 40-60 kg daily (40-120 Euro).
• Blueberry pickers earn 1.5-4 euro per kg; it’s possible to pick 20-50 kg per day (30-200 Euro).
• Cloudberries are more expensive and pickers get 7-10 Euro per kg, but it’s harder to pick: One person can gather 2-5 kg per day (15-50 Euro).

For comparison, in Ukraine berry pickers can only get 7-10 hryvnia (0.25-0.30 Euro) per kg.

Berry-pickers are able to earn from 0.9-1 Euro to 10 Euros per 1 kg of produce.

Labourers

Workers doing furniture assembly earn 2.5-3 Euro per hour in Poland, which is about 450-540 Euro per month for a 40-hour week. But many Ukrainians work longer hours: 10-12 hours daily, 6 days a week. They stay in the country for a few months and then go home.

In Sweden, a job in assembling furniture is paid at the rate 5-7 Euro per hour (900-1260 Euro monthly for a 40-hour week). In Germany the same job is paid at the rate 6-10 Euro (1080-1800 Euro monthly).

In Ukraine, for the same job workers get 15,000 hryvnia (460 Euro), which is similar to wages in Poland.

Truck drivers

Truck drivers in Ukraine earn 15-35 thousand hryvnia monthly (460-1,100 Euro).

The ones who drive from Ukraine to European countries and back are earning more than 35,000 hryvnia (1,100 Euro).

In Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, and Germany drivers earn 1,000-2,500 Euro per month.

To work in Germany, truckies usually need to sign a contract with a company from Poland or Lithuania.

Because Ukrainians travel to work in Europe for a short period of time, they are happy to work 60-80 hours per week, as there are no distractions of family or friends, running the household. After 3-4 months they come home where the money they have earned go further.

Working like this in Ukraine all the time wouldn’t be possible.

Read also:

• 52% of Ukrainians would like to move abroad for good
• Only 54% of Ukrainians work officially
• Medical professions lead in preferences of Russian school leavers in 2020
• How much do people earn in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other countries of former Soviet Union?