Most Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands who were employed worked in a flexible manner including as on-call workers, temporary workers or another form of temporary employment, according to data from Statistics Netherlands.

When broken down, on-call workers comprised 26% of these workers on flexible contracts, with temporary workers comprising 39% while 30% comprised the ‘other temporary employment’. More than half (53%) worked full-time, i.e. 35 hours per week or more; 15% worked 30 to 35 hours.

Meanwhile, the majority (55%) of the approximately 78,000 15 to 64-year-old refugees with Ukrainian nationality living in the Netherlands were employed as of 1 November 2023. This was up from the same period a year prior with data from 1 November 2022 showing the share of these employees stood at 44%.

Statistics Netherlands highlighted that Ukrainian refugees who came to the Netherlands after the Russian invasion in late February 2022 do not need a work permit in the country.

Ukrainian refugees in the age group between 25 and 44 were employed the most often (59%), while young people aged 15 to 24 were least often to have employed work (49%). Men worked as often as women.

The majority of Ukrainian refugees were employed in the business services sector (51%), which includes employment agencies. Statistics Netherlands noted that it is often impossible to verify in which sector temporary workers are being deployed.

Apart from business services, comparatively many Ukrainian refugees also worked in the trade, transport and accommodation and food services sectors (32%). Relative to one year previously, the share of those working in this sector increased by 5%, while the share in business services decreased by 5%.

When it comes to changing jobs, of those Ukrainian workers who were in employment between 1 November 2022 and 1 November 2023, 41% changed employers.