idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Berlin, 17 February 2026 – Refugees from Ukraine who suffer from potential war trauma are less likely to work than their compatriots who do not. This is the result of a study funded by the ROCKWOOL Foundation and published as an RFBerlin discussion paper (19/26). “If we want to get more Ukrainians into work, providing psychological support for those with severe trauma reactions may help,” says Mette Foged, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen and senior researcher at the ROCKWOOL Foundation. “This may also be relevant in other countries where Ukrainians have sought refuge.”
According to the study, nearly one in three Ukrainian refugees in Denmark suffer from possible war trauma. Their employment rate is 7.4 percentage points lower than that of other refugees from Ukraine. When they do work, they also work fewer hours. However, their hourly wages are similar to those of other Ukrainians.
The study examined a representative sample of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Denmark between the start of Russia’s full scale invasion on 24 February 2022 and 30 September 2022. Six months after arrival, 51 per cent are employed. After two years, the figure rises to 68 per cent. By comparison, the employment rate among Danes is around 80 per cent.
Prof. Mette Foged; mette.foged@econ.ku.dk, 0045 35 32 35 82
Prof. Karen-Inge Karstoft; kik@psy.ku.dk, 0045 35 33 50 50
In German
Dr. Edith Zink; ezi.zink@gmail.com
RFBerlin Discussion Paper 19/2026: ‘PTSD and refugees' underemployment: Evidence from displaced Ukrainians’ by Mette Foged, Karen-Inge Karstoft and Edith Zink.
https://www.rfberlin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26019.pdf
https://www.rfberlin.com/research-insights/why-some-refugees-struggle-to-work/ RFBerlin Research Insight: Why Some Refugees Struggle to Work: The Role of Early Signs of PTSD
Criteria of this press release:
Journalists, Scientists and scholars, all interested persons
Economics / business administration, Psychology, Social studies
transregional, national
Research results, Scientific Publications
English
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
