Polish government recognized contribution of refugees from Ukraine: if all Ukrainians did not go to work, Polish economy would come to standstill
Maciej Duszczyk, Deputy Minister of the Interior of Poland, highlighted the contribution of Ukrainians to the Polish economy.
Polsat News reports this, according to Censor.NET.
The Polish economy would come to a standstill
Indeed, according to Dushchik, in many cases the absence of Ukrainians would be noticeable.
"If it weren’t for Ukrainian citizens, we’d be waiting 10 minutes for the bus instead of 5. That’s because they’re the ones filling the labor shortage in the Polish labor market. Therefore, a certain part of the Polish economy depends on military refugees from Ukraine. Overall, Ukrainians living in Poland—and we must repeat this more and more often—because one day, if such a situation were to arise, if all Ukrainians were to agree not to go to work, the Polish economy would grind to a halt," he said.
He also criticized the Law and Justice party's proposal to deport unemployed men of draft age from Ukraine.
"In fact, those who are not working in Poland are people who are caring for their children with disabilities, or those wounded on the front lines who are undergoing rehabilitation in Poland," he said.
Return to Ukraine
When asked whether refugees would begin returning to Ukraine once the war ends, Dushchyk replied that "this is a process we have seen in other countries, and it is very easy to predict."
"Sometimes, those who say, 'I'm staying,' end up leaving because something happens. And those who say, 'I'll leave as soon as the war is over,' end up staying. Of course, these trends change every month, as the roots they put down in the host society—in this case, Poland—grow deeper and deeper. If someone has enrolled their children in school, they’re learning Polish; if a person is working in the labor market, the likelihood that they’ll return to Ukraine without a strong incentive to do so is practically very low," he noted.
Dushchik also added that "we should compare the situation in an EU country—Poland, with all its advantages—with that of Ukraine, which is going through a major crisis—even after the war ends."
"In my opinion, the likelihood that many Ukrainians will return home is low," he said.
