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I. MIGRATION FROM UKRAINE FOR EMPLOYMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL MIGRATION PROCESSES
2. Analysis of statistical data on Ukrainian citizens departing abroad
Official and unofficial Ukrainian sources, the mass media included, give different figures of migrant workers leaving the country. Their number ranges from two to seven million people. Estimating the exact or at least approximate number of migrant workers is extremely difficult, what with the prevalently illegal nature of their stay abroad and reluctance to register with both Ukrainian consular posts and the migration services of the host countries.
Yet another difficulty is that the quantity of migrant workers is never stable and fluctuates periodically, reaching its peak in summer.
One of the reasons behind the inefficiency of the existing system of recording statistical information about migrant workers is the absence of a single government agency for collecting, generalizing and analyzing such information.
During the preparation of this Special Report, the Commissioner authorized to make a thorough study of the statistical data provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labor, the State Committee for Guarding the Ukrainian State Border, and the foreign embassies accredited in Ukraine.
Regrettably, the received data made it impossible to arrive at a definite conclusion, since the information about Ukrainian migrant workers was fragmentary and occasionally contradictory.
According to the data of the State Committee for Guarding the Ukrainian State Border, 14.2 million Ukrainian citizens departed from the country for different purposes, while in 2001 their number was 15.6 million, and in 2001 – 15.6 million. The number of those who entered Ukraine within this period was as follows: 15.3 million Ukrainian citizens in 2000, 15.3 million in 2001, and 15.1 million in 2002. The overall “migration balance” was (+)1.14 million in 2000, (-)0.28 million in 2001, and (-)0.48 million in 2002. The presented figures show that approximately 0.38 million more Ukrainian citizens entered the country than left it in the period from 2000 to 2002.
Among the most frequented countries in 2002 were Russia (6.1 million), Poland (4.2 million), Hungary (1.8 million), Moldova (1.3 million), Belarus (0.9 million), Slovakia (262,000), Turkey (177,000), Romania (116,000), Czech Republic (97,000), and Germany (96,000). (see Fig.1.2).
Fig. 1.2. Dynamics of border crossings by Ukrainian citizens in 2000–2002
million persons
Apart from the geographical factor, the large number of Ukrainian citizens crossing the border into Russia, Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Belarus is explained, first of all, by the free-visa entry procedure in effect with these countries and, except for Moldova, corresponds on the whole to the traditional destinations of Ukrainian migrant workers.
At the same time the information about Ukrainian citizens crossing the border into Western Europe does not accord with the real situation of things.
When a Ukrainian citizen departs for Poland or Germany it does not necessarily mean that these countries are his final destinations. Once he officially enters Spain under an Schengen visa issued by the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine, he can become an illegal migrant worker in any country of the Schengen zone, in particular in Portugal or Italy.
According to the official data of the SCGSB, 105 Ukrainians departed for Portugal in 2000-2002. How then did 140,000 Ukrainian migrant workers appear in this country, as Ukrainian expert estimates show? On the other hand, Portugal’s mass media put the figure at 200,000.
Analyzing the Ukrainian citizens’ officially stated purpose of travel abroad, it can be concluded that the overwhelming majority pursues a private purpose (about 70% in 2000, 71% in 2001, and 72% in 2002) or as organized tourists – 18.13% and 13% respectively). Those who went on business trips, or as attending personnel and servicemen accounted for 12%, 16% and 15% of all the Ukrainian citizens who traveled abroad in 2000, 2001 and 2002 respectively (see Fig.1.3).
Fig. 1.3. Dynamics of changes in the purpose of travel
In the past few years there has been a slightly upward trend in the share of business travel by Ukrainian citizens against the backdrop of a reduction in tourist travel.
Relevantly, the data of the SCGSB give an idea only about the general size and destinations of migration flows from the country. Therefore it is impossible to determine precisely how many Ukrainian citizens are sojourning in one or another country, in the capacity of migrant workers included.
First, the cited figures represent the total number of Ukrainian citizens crossing the border for certain specific destinations as well as those who in the said period crossed the border twice and even more. This is especially true for what are called “shuttles,” i.e. vendors who cross the border several dozens of times a year.
Included in these data are also Ukrainian citizens who are staying on the territory of other countries as migrant workers over a lengthy period of time and have not returned to their homeland since then.
The official data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy on the number of employed Ukrainian citizens abroad seem to be more precise.
In the first six months of 2002, according to these data, 20,617 Ukrainian citizens held temporary jobs abroad, of which 20,199 were migrant workers, 227 seasonal workers, 152 hired interns, and 39 contract workers. The largest number of Ukrainian citizens holding temporary jobs was in Greece – 7,249, Cyprus – 2,914, Liberia – 2,266, the United Kingdom – 1,287, United Arab Emirates – 703, Germany – 551, and Russia – 543 (see Annex 2).
These figures relate only to those citizens who were employed directly either by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy through state employment centers on the basis of bilateral Agreements on employment or by employment firms holding official licenses awarded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. Accordingly, the figures take into account only legally employed citizens, i.e. those who entered a country on the basis of an employment visa, but not a tourist or visitor visa, and received permits for employment and permits for stay.
At the same time Ukrainian citizens legally working in the host countries account only for a negligible percent of illegal workers.
Judging from some unofficial estimates, not more than 5% of Ukrainian citizens leaving for work abroad, specifically to Russia, are entered in the registration lists of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.
The official data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy also do not adequately present the picture of migration for employment, such as its scope, destinations, and the like.
Another source of information about the number of Ukrainian citizens working abroad are the data of the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s consular posts.
At July 1, 2002, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs data show, 82 consular posts in 69 countries had permanently registered 200,806 Ukrainian citizens and temporarily registered 52,452 Ukrainian citizens; of this number 3,636 were studying, 29,250 working, and 327 undergoing medical treatment.
As we see in Fig.1.4, there has been an upward trend of those permanently and temporarily registered with consular posts, along with the growing share of citizens staying in the countries for the purpose of employment.
Fig. 1.4. Number of Ukrainian citizens registered with consular posts
Thousand persons
Thus, the largest number of Ukrainian citizens registered with consular posts (over 60%) is in three countries – Germany, Israel and the US. But where the presence of Ukrainian migrant workers is the largest (Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal and Turkey) only a little over 14% of the total are registered with Ukrainian consular posts.
This proves that the overwhelming majority are reluctant to register for different reasons, or simply do not want to because most of them are illegal migrant workers. At the same time citizens who are legally employed abroad also assume such reluctance. According to the information of the Ukrainian Embassy in Iraq, Ukrainian citizens working with oil recovery companies in that country on a contractual basis in 2002 refused to undergo registration even after repeated meetings with the consular officers of the embassy.
A similar situation is observed in Turkey. As the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey informed, only 625 Ukrainian citizens were temporarily or permanently registered with its consular service at July 1, 2002. But according to the information of the Embassy of Turkey in Ukraine, 2,300 Ukrainian citizens, i.e. 3.5 times more, resided on the territory of Turkey at August 1, 2002. Experts estimate the number at about 35,000.
This means that even those Ukrainian citizens who sojourn in Turkey on legal grounds do not wish to undergo consular registration for certain reasons. One of the reasons is the fear that once they provide objective information about their place of residence and purpose of travel, it will end in negative consequences for their further stay in that country. Also, quite a few Ukrainian citizens do not understand the purpose of registration and its positive aspects for the protection of their rights and freedoms.
In this connection, Ukrainian citizens should be informed more comprehensively about the need of consular registration and how their rights and freedoms can be protected by consular posts. Since consular registration implies definite legal implications and concerns persons sojourning on the territory of a foreign state on legal grounds, the existing procedures of consular registration should also be made more flexible with regard to the current contingents of Ukrainian citizens staying abroad, in particular to illegal migrants.
The information about consular registration of Ukrainian citizens temporarily or permanently employed abroad, though more extensive compared with the data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, does not, nonetheless, reflect the real number of our citizens working abroad.
In response to the inquiry of the Commissioner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, apart from official data, also provided its expert evaluation about the number of Ukrainian migrant workers illegally employed throughout the world.
The Ukrainian Embassy in the Russian Federation estimated that in 2002 there were about one million Ukrainian citizens illegally employed in that country, while the seasonal peak reached three million.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s expert estimates, up to 300,000 Ukrainian citizens sojourned in Poland, 200,000 in Italy, 100,000 in the Czech Republic, 140,000-150,000 in Portugal, 100,000 in Spain, 35,000 in Turkey, 20,000 in the US, 5,000 in Slovakia, 4,000 in Argentina, 4,000 in Belarus, and up to 3,000 in Greece. In all, over 2 million Ukrainian citizens work abroad illegally.
In the opinion of the Commissioner, these figures are also underestimated and do not accord with reality. The Commissioner cited some figures about Ukrainian migrant workers in the First Annual Report. Constant monitoring of this issue makes it possible to state that not less than five million Ukrainian citizens is a more realist figure. Taking into account that the country has 28 million citizens of employable age, it can be concluded that to date at least every fifth economically active Ukrainian is working abroad.
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