Highlighting Ukraine’s emerging role as the EU’s reserve labor pool

Highlighting Ukraine’s emerging role as the EU’s reserve labor pool, Ukrainians accounted for 55% of the 1.2 million first time residence permits granted last year to all non-EU citizens for work in the EU, according to a new Eurostat report. Last year, 660,000 Ukrainians received these first time work-related permits, a 19% jump over 2018. This was 13 times greater than the next labor source – India, with 50,000 – and 16 times the third ranked country – Belarus, with 41,000. These numbers do not count Ukrainians who are in the EU on long stay visas or the back and forth flood of informal workers who take advantage of the 90-day visa-free regime.