Employment in line with qualifications? Institutional support for Ukrainian migrants in the Lodzkie and Silesian voivodeships

Abstract

This article explores the impact of institutional support on the employment opportunities of Ukrainian citizens, with a particular focus on their ability to secure jobs matching their professional qualifications. The analysis is geographically limited to two voivodeships – Lodzkie and Silesian – selected due to their significant growth in the issuance of work-related documents (including permits and declarations) over the past decade.

Following the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, Poland became the primary host country for refugees from Ukraine, prompting public institutions and non-governmental organizations to introduce new forms of integration and employment assistance. The study aims to identify institutional measures that facilitate the effective use of migrants’ professional potential. It draws on data from a survey conducted in autumn 2024 among 680 Ukrainian citizens residing in the Lodzkie and Silesian regions, including both pre-war migrants and war refugees. The analysis focuses exclusively on the role of institutional support mechanisms.

To assess the impact of various types of support – such as Polish language courses, job placement assistance, and vocational training – on the likelihood of employment consistent with professional qualifications, a logistic regression model was applied. The findings indicate that participation in Polish language courses significantly increased the chances of obtaining employment aligned with professional competencies in both voivodeships. Vocational retraining programs proved effective in the Lodzkie region, while job placement assistance played a particularly important role in Silesia.