IDPs in Ukraine complain about low salaries, lack of job opportunities

survey

09.10.2019 12:31

Ukrinform

Less than half of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine were employed as of June 2019, with wages being the main source of income for most of them, according to a survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) regarding the situation of internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

The results of the survey were presented at a press conference at Ukrinform on Wednesday, October 9.

According to the document, as of June 2019, when the last IOM survey was conducted, 46% of IDPs were employed and most of them said they had been staying in their current place of displacement for a year or longer. The share of job seekers did not exceed 7%, but more than half of them could not find a job for more than a year.

According to the survey, among the problems most commonly cited by respondents are the lack of job opportunities, the lack of knowledge and skills, or low pay. At the same time, 10% of unemployed people who were looking for work and experiencing difficulties said that they had worked in conditions that were significantly worse than promised.

More than 60% of those surveyed cited the wages they or their families receive as the main source of their income. State support remains the second most frequently mentioned source of income for IDPs.

More than two-thirds (69%) of respondents said they could not cover the unexpected expenses using their resources, and only 11% said they had sufficient funds to meet their basic and other needs and could make savings.

According to the IOM survey, the economically inactive population among IDPs was 47% and was represented primarily by retired persons or pensioners (24%).

At the same time, the average monthly income per one IDP household member increased from UAH 2,667 in March to UAH 3,039 in June.

"The average monthly income per IDPs household member was considerably lower compared to an average Ukrainian household; for the general population, it amounted to UAH 4,895 in the period from October to December 2018. Furthermore, the average monthly income level of IDPs was still low compared with the actual subsistence level calculated by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, which published rates in June 2019 at UAH 3,761," the survey reads.

The survey was conducted in April-June 2019. A total of 2,401 respondents were surveyed during personal interviews and 4,000 by phone.