From cleaners to civil servants. We are talking about war refugees, as they make up the majority. Let’s take a look at a summary of the 2024 report from the Czech Statistical Office ČSÚ . The arrival of Ukrainians has significantly reduced unemployment, primarily in the working class.

Employment of Ukrainians in the Czech Republic: dynamics and trends

Special data processing from ISPV for 2022–2023 made it possible to analyze in detail the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the Czech labor market. The data, sorted by the workers’ citizenship, show a steady increase in employment across most professional categories.

Overall employment growth

According to the CZ-ISCO classification, most professional groups recorded growth over the year. In manual labor professions, the relative increase was lower because there was already a significant number of Ukrainian workers in the Czech Republic before the war. In 2022, 19% of Ukrainians were employed in non-physical work, and in 2023 this figure increased to 20%.

The largest relative growth was recorded among civil servants (+42%), as well as managers and specialists (+33%), although these groups remain small in absolute numbers. In other categories, the increase is more noticeable:

• Machine and equipment operators: +23% (women +30%).
• Auxiliary and unskilled workers: +28% (women +31%).
• In 2023, 63% of Ukrainian workers were employed in these two categories.

Changes in professional groups

Detailed classification shows growth in many areas:

• Healthcare workers: the number of doctors increased by 33%, nurses by 17%.
• IT specialists: the number of software developers grew by 40%.
• Accountants and administrators: growth of about 33%.

Although the absolute numbers of these specialists are small, the number of skilled labor professions has increased significantly:

• Cooks: +21% (up to 2,300 people).
• Salespeople: +17% (up to 3,500).
• Masons: +6% (up to 3,700).
• Welders: +15% (up to 1,500).
• Toolmakers: +21% (up to 1,700).
• Setters and machine operators: +27% (up to 1,900).
• Agricultural and industrial machinery repairers: +38% (up to 1,100).

Work in manufacturing and logistics

Last year, the largest number of Ukrainians were employed in the assembly sector:

• Assemblers: 11,600 people (+27%).
• Electrical equipment installers: 6,300 (+26%).
• Mechanical equipment installers: 5,800 (+29%).
• Machine operators in the food industry: 3,100 (+11%).
• Packaging machine operators: 1,800 (+13%).
• Stationary machine operators: 1,300 (+44%).

The number of drivers has also increased:

• Truck, tractor, and special equipment drivers: +14% (up to 4,000).
• Forklift operators: +21% (up to 8,100).

These data confirm that, in addition to working in factories, Ukrainians are actively employed in warehousing and logistics sectors.

Gender differences in professions

Some professions remain predominantly male or female:

• Construction workers: +26% (up to 7,200).
• Kitchen staff: +83% (up to 1,100).
• Auxiliary production workers (slightly more women): +44% (up to 6,500).
• Cleaners in hotels, offices, and industrial buildings: +25% (up to 5,500).
• Unskilled auxiliary workers: +7% (up to 1,600).

Thus, Ukrainian refugees are actively integrating into the Czech labor market, occupying both skilled and unskilled positions, with women more often choosing service sectors, and men gravitating toward construction and technical professions.