Which regions of Ukraine have become the best for the integration of IDP

Soсportal asked the International Organization for Migration to tell about how many migrants are currently in Ukraine, where they mainly live, and how the state can improve the policy regarding IDPs.

How many internally displaced persons are there in Ukraine and how did the dynamics change through the period of the full-scale invasion?

• Current IDP estimate: As of April 2024, there are an estimated 3.5 million IDPs in Ukraine.

• Dynamics since March 2022: In March 2022, about 15% of the population in Ukraine were estimated to have been internally displaced. After rising to 17% in May 2022, this figure has been decreasing since September 2022. As of April 2024, about 11% of the population were estimated to still have been displaced.

• Current returnee estimate: Moreover, there are an estimated 4.7 million returnees (i.e. people who were previously displaced, either in Ukraine or abroad, but have since returned to their habitual place of residence before the full-scale invasion).

• Most displacement took place over a year ago and is becoming protracted: A large majority of IDPs (82%) were displaced a year or longer ago (as of April 2024). Only 5% of IDPs had become displaced in the 3 months prior to April 2024, and another 4% had become displaced in the 4 to 6 months prior to April 2024. Similarly, as of April 2024, two-thirds of returnees (66%) had returned a year or longer ago. Nine percent had returned in the 3 months prior to April 2024, while another 7% had returned 4 to 6 months prior to April 2024.

From which regions do most IDPs come from and where did they most often go in the beginning?

• Most IDPs come from the East and South: The largest share of IDPs is from the East of Ukraine (66%), followed by the South (21%). At the oblast level, the largest shares of IDPs are from Donetska (22%), Kharkivska (20%), Khersonska (14%), and Zaporizka (12%) oblasts.

• The East is also hosting the largest share of IDPs: As of April 2024, 34% of IDPs were located in the East. A further 17% were located in the West, 10% in Kyiv City. Across oblasts, the largest shares of all IDPs were located in Dnipropetrovska (14%), Kharkivska (12%) oblasts, and Kyiv City (10%).

Where did people manage to integrate, and from which regions were they more likely to move?

• Intention to integrate most prevalent in the North and Kyiv City: As of December 2023, the highest shares of IDPs who planned to integrate in their current location were located in the North (31%) and Kyiv City (27%). Across other regions, between 16% to 20% of IDPs were planning to integrate in their current locations.

• Intentions to return more prevalent across the other regions: As of December 2023, roughly half the IDPs in Kyiv City (52%) and the North (51%) had planned to return to their habitual places of residence. Across other regions, between 60% and 69% had planned to return.

• Highest share of returnees having returned from within Ukraine returned from the West: As of April 2024, among returnees, roughly one-fourth had been displaced within their own oblast before returning (27%) or returned from abroad (24%). The remainder (48%) had returned from another Ukrainian oblast. Among those having returned from within Ukraine, one-third (34%) had returned from the West, 16% to 20% each had returned from the Center, North and East, and 7% each had returned from the South and Kyiv City.

• Most recent returns most commonly occurred from the East, while the share of returns from the West had dropped: Return dynamics changed over the course of the war. Among those having returned from within Ukraine more than a year ago (as of April 2024), 37% had returned from the West, another 20% and 21% from the North and Center, 11% from the East, 7% from Kyiv City, and 4% from the South. However, among those having returned from within Ukraine in the 6 months prior to April 2024, 30% had returned from the East, 21% from the Center and West, 12% to 13% from the North and South, and 3% from Kyiv City.

At the beginning of the invasion, stories circulated in the media about displaced people settling in empty village houses. Were these phenomena massive in fact? Where do more IDPs stay - in urban or rural areas?

• Half the IDPs stay in cities and their suburbs: As of April 2024, the majority of IDPs stayed in large cities (43%) and their suburbs (6%). Another 28% stayed in small towns or villages of urban type, while 22% stayed in rural areas.

• Generally, more than half the IDPs rent their current housing, but in rural areas, they are most commonly being hosted for free: As of April 2024, more than half the IDPs (58%) rented their current accommodation. Only 7% owed it and 31% were hosted for free. This was especially true for small towns and cities: 54% and 75% of IDPs in small towns and urban areas, respectively, were renting their current housing. In rural areas, on the other hand, only one-fourth of IDPs (25%) were renting, while 56% were hosted for free.

Is there any data on the jobs IDPs were able to find and the ways they found employment? Did they have to change their occupation or take less qualified jobs?

• Higher unemployment rates among IDPs than among other individuals: As of April 2024, 51% of IDPs aged 18 to 60 were in paid employment. Another 6% were self-employed. In comparison, 62% of both returnees and the non-displaced were in paid employment, and another 11% of returnees and 9% of non-displaced individuals were self-employed. In turn, 14% of IDPs were unemployed (12% were unemployed and actively looking for a job), compared to 8% of both returnees (6% actively looking) and non-displaced individuals (5% actively looking). At the same time, a slightly higher share of IDPs (17%) than returnees (12%) or non-displaced individuals (10%) are doing housework, looking after children or other persons, or are on maternity leave.

• Perceived discrimination on the job market is a challenge most disproportionately faced by job-searching IDPs (rather than offers of low-quality work): Among individuals actively looking for a job, as of December 2023, IDPs did not cite challenges related to low-quality jobs at notably higher proportions than other individuals (all of which cited these challenges at high proportions: 69% of job-searching individuals reported low offered salaries as a challenge, while 54% reported having been offered informal employment). The challenge most disproportionately reported by IDPs was a perceived unwillingness from employers to hire IDPs (reported by 42% of IDPs actively looking for a job as a challenge).

• Acceptance of lower-quality jobs as a coping strategy: As of April 2024, 27% of IDPs reported having accepted lower qualification or low-paid jobs as a coping strategy to meet basic needs. It is important to note that this specifically refers to accepting such jobs as a means to overcome challenges in meeting basic needs. It does not reflect the prevalence of IDPs accepting such jobs overall. The data may indicate, however, that IDPs may increasingly be pushed to accept such jobs as a coping strategy, as between June and December 2023, the proportion of IDPs having reported this coping strategy was still at 18% to 19%. The same holds true – albeit at lower proportions – for other population groups.

• Lower levels of available monthly household income per household member in households of IDPs in paid work: IDPs generally reported a slightly lower available monthly household income per household member than other individuals: As of April 2024, the median available monthly household income per household member among households of IDP respondents was UAH 4,333, compared to UAH 5,000 among returnees, and UAH 4,500 among non-displaced individuals. However, this difference was more pronounced among respondents in paid work: The median available monthly household income per household member among households of IDP respondents who were in paid work at the time of data collection was UAH 5,000, compared to UAH 6,667 among returnees, and UAH 6,000 among non-displaced individuals. It is important to note that these figures do not reflect the income individuals in paid work earned but the income available from all household members. They therefore only provide a proxy of potentially lower levels of income among IDPs, even when they are in paid work.

We conducted an interview with an expert on housing, who noted that IDPs often spend social assistance from the state to cover housing rent. Do you have any relevant data?

• High level of reliance on rented accommodation among IDPs and lower levels of household income among renting IDPs than among other renters result in a comparably high rent burden on IDPs and their households: As noted above, 58% of IDPs rent their current accommodation. This compares to only 14% of returnees and 8% of non-displaced individuals. At the same time, among those living in rented rooms, houses or apartments, as of April 2024, the median monthly household income of households of IDPs respondents was notably lower than that of other households (UAH 13,600 among IDPs respondents, compared to UAH 20,000 among other respondents). As a result, rent burden is much higher on IDPs and their households: 38% of renting IDPs reported expenditures on housing (rent + utilities) amounting to more than 70% of their household income, compared to 28% of non-displaced renters and 18% of renting returnees, and 60% of renting IDPs reported expenditures of more than 50% of their household income, compared to 50% of non-displaced renters, and 43% of renting returnees.

• Rent burden is particularly high in households of IDP respondents without a regular source of income: More than half (54%) the renting IDPs in households without a regular source of income or a pension reported housing costs of more than 70% of their household income, compared to one-third (31%) of renting IDPs in households with a regular source of income/pension, and 72% of renting IDPs in households without a regular source of income or a pension reported housing costs of more than 50% of their household income, compared to 55% of renting IDPs in households with a regular source of income/pension.

• There is no noticeable difference in rent burden between households of IDP respondents having or not having received social benefits: in both cases, roughly 60% of IDP respondents reported housing costs of more than 50% of their household income, while between 36% and 38% reported housing costs of more than 70% of their household income. As such, social assistance may help recipients keep their rent burden at equal levels to those who do not receive such assistance.

• Without alternative sources of income, large shares of assistance are likely to be spent on rent: Given high rent burden among households without a regular source of income, it is likely that the more dependent households are on social assistance, i.e. the less other income sources they have, the higher the share of such assistance spent on rent will be. However, this rather depends on the existence of income sources other than social assistance, than on the receipt of social assistance as such.

• IDPs generally report challenges covering rent, irrespective of the receipt of social assistance and their sources of income: The disproportionate share of household income spent on housing among renting IDPs is also reflected in 53% of renting IDPs having reported an inability to pay for their housing to limit their ability to stay as long as they wish, compared to 38% of renting returnees and 36% of non-displaced renters. However, this share is the same among households of IDPs respondents having or not having received social assistance, and only slightly lower among those having (51%) than among those not having (59%) had a regular source of income.

Mass media articles and expert interviews show a trend that female displaced persons go to the EU and work there, sending money to their families in Ukraine to pay rent and other expenses. This is due to the fact that not all family members can or want to leave Ukraine and the salary in Ukraine is too low to pay for rented accommodation. Do you track anything like this?

Based on the results of the Surveys with Refugees in the Ukraine Response region deployed by IOM’s DTM:

• Around 65% of a total of 9,561 respondents in Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Rep. of Moldova, and Slovakia reported that they remitted money to Ukraine from January to June 2024. The average amount of remittances varies from 1 to 250 EUR for 32% of respondents (on average per month), while 33% of the respondents remitted over 250EUR (on average per month).

• The top 3 expenses the remitted money was spent on in Ukraine were food (66%), basic expenses (58%) and healthcare – (more than one answer was possible).

• 44% of respondents received money from their country of origin in Jan – June 2024 period. One-third (31%) received from 1 to 250 EUR (on average per month), and 13% received amount over 250 euro (on average per month).

• On average per month, female respondents in the six countries received 156 euro and sent to Ukraine 333 euro, while men received 75 euro and sent to Ukraine 290 in the period Jan – June 2024.

What recommendations could you make regarding the IDP support policy?

• Access to safe and dignified employment for IDPs: Most unemployed IDPs are actively looking for work. Nevertheless, the share of unemployed IDPs looking for work is twice that of other individuals. As such, IDPs – and their potential employers – may require specific targeted support to make employment available and accessible to IDPs. Moreover, safeguards may be required to ensure that IDPs’ economic vulnerability is not exploited on the job market or at work.

• Access to housing among IDPs: In a context, where most people do not appear to have relied on rented housing prior to the full-scale invasion, IDPs may require ongoing support to be able to cope with the sudden rent burden as a result of their displacement. Moreover, as the war continues, there may be a need to support additional IDPs currently still being hosted for free in accessing accommodation in the future.

• Support all IDPs respecting and supporting their ultimate choice of a solution to their displacement: Irrespective of whether or not IDPs are planning to integrate in their current location or to return in the long term / once the war is over, they require targeted support in accessing employment and housing (as well as other basic services) on par with other individuals. Even if this means only ‘temporary settlement’ in a location, planning for an eventual return, IDPs should be supported to achieve self-reliance where they currently are, such that they do not become even more vulnerable in the long term. At the same time, it will be important to ensure that any support policy does not negatively affect the options available to IDPs in the future and their ultimate choice of a solution to their displacement – integration, return or resettlement.