Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic are increasingly joining the labor market, positively impacting the country’s financial indicators. In the first three months of 2025, their tax contributions and budget contributions exceeded social payments and other assistance received from the state treasury by over 124.5 million euros.
This is reported by Finway
The Role of Ukrainians in Key Sectors of the Czech Economy
According to the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ukrainians pay the same taxes as citizens of the country but do not have access to a number of social benefits, including parental assistance, which are available to Czechs under similar conditions. This fact makes any accusations against them unfounded. The state considers not only social payments but also healthcare costs and other expenses in the costs associated with Ukrainian migrants.
“While Ukrainians pay exactly the same contributions and taxes as everyone else, they do not have the right, for example, to parental assistance and other state payments that Czech citizens receive under the same contributions. This makes complaints against them even more unjust. I also clarify that we include not only social assistance in our expenses but also healthcare costs and other items,” stated the head of the ministry, Marian Jurečka.
Prospects for Growth in Economic Contribution
The Czech Ministry of Labor forecasts further growth in revenues from Ukrainian refugees while also expecting a reduction in expenses for their support. Minister Marian Jurečka emphasized that the economic role of Ukrainians is much broader than just tax revenues. They play a critical role in sectors such as construction, agriculture, gastronomy, healthcare, and other areas where it is already hard to imagine normal functioning without their labor.
Moreover, a significant portion of the money earned by Ukrainians is spent in the Czech Republic, providing additional revenues to the budget and allowing the government to use these resources for the benefit of society as a whole. The minister highlighted that many vacancies would remain unfilled if it were not for Ukrainian workers, as some of them are not in demand among the local population or there is a shortage of labor in the country.
For comparison, the experience of Poland also indicates a significant positive impact of Ukrainians on the economy: according to estimates from the Polish Economic Institute, from 2021 to 2023, the contribution of labor migrants to GDP growth amounted to 0.5 percentage points.