Ukrainians in the Czech Republic: On the Pathway from Temporary Foreign Workers to One of the Largest Minority Groups

Abstract

Ukrainians are the largest group among migrants in the Czech Republic. Ukrainian migration to this country is primarily economic in nature and many of these immigrants remain on the lowest rungs of the labour market. The global economic recession adversely affected Czech economic performance and had a significant impact on non-EU labour migration to the country. Ukrainian migration grew rapidly before 2008 but appears to have stabilized since the recession. Ukrainian immigration has changed over the last two decades. For many years it was seen as temporary labour migration dominated by men; however, today more than half of those Ukrainian nationals have settled and almost half are women. Ukrainians are no longer temporary guest workers in the Czech Republic: over time they have become increasingly integrated into the country’s society. In the future Ukrainians can be expected to form one of the largest national minorities in the Czech Republic.