Acquiring the ability to travel to Europe without an entry visa in June 2017 resulted in unprecedented exodus of working age Ukrainians to nearby countries offering higher wages. Today 1 in 4 citizens have worked abroad for some time, according to the latest data by the government.

The number of Ukrainians employed in other countries is growing by day

According to the Ministry of Social Policy, 3.2 million of Ukrainian citizens are employed abroad.

Moreover, up to 9 million people are involved in working abroad, which is a quarter of the country population.

Nevertheless, the growth of Ukrainian labor migration is opposite to the overall drop in amounts of remittances from abroad to their family members, Finance.ua reported.

On the other hand, the income of Ukrainian migrants working abroad is constantly rising. These facts lead to the conclusion about the steady trend of family reunions, when spouses and children join their breadwinners in another country.

This opinion was expressed by Oleg Ustenko, the executive director of the Blazer International Foundation.

Mr. Ustenko explained, “Before, if a family member, for instance, a husband was employed abroad, he sent money to his wife in Ukraine. This need usually disappears as soon as she comes into the country to stay with her husband.”

Over 3 million of Ukrainians are living and working abroad

The number of Ukrainians employed aboard is growing with every passing  day and exceeded 3 million in May of 2019.

In particular, in 2013 the number of labor invitations for Ukrainians from Poland was 218,000. In 2017 there had been already 1.7 million invitations issued.

The main reason for current situation is that wages, both minimum and the average salaries in Ukraine are much lower compared with the salaries of EU.

Even in the countries of the former Eastern bloc wages are higher.

Companies located in the former East Germany pay their employees an average of 2700 Euro monthly, and the companies of the former West Germany pay 3300 Euro.

Minimum monthly wages by country:

• Germany: 1,600 Euro.
• Poland: 1,500 Euro (average wages: 1,150 Euro)

The minimum monthly salary in Ukraine from 1 January 2019 is 4,173 UAH, which is approximately US $150. The average monthly wage currently is just over 10 thousand UAH (US $380).

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