In 2022, only about one in ten Ukrainian women in Austria was employed. By 2026, that figure has reached 48%, according to a detailed study by the Austrian Integration Fund (Österreichischer Integrationsfonds), as reported by Kurier.
"The labor force participation of Ukrainian women rose from roughly ten percent in 2022 to approximately 48 percent," the study found, while male participation stood at 51% — a near-parity that challenges the assumption of a wide gender gap in refugee employment.
Still, the picture is far from seamless. The unemployment rate among Ukrainian citizens in Austria stood at 19% in 2025, according to the study — nearly three times the 7% rate among Austrian nationals. The gap points to persistent barriers even as overall participation climbs.
Language as a bridge
A majority of surveyed Ukrainian displaced persons reported having both spoken and written German skills, the study found. Specifically, 30% rated their German as "advanced," while 38% described their proficiency as basic. The remaining respondents reported lower or no German language ability — a factor widely considered decisive for labor market entry in Austria.
A young, female-skewed population
As of 1 January 2026, more than 94,000 Ukrainian citizens were living in Austria, a figure that includes both those who arrived after Russia's full-scale invasion and those who had settled earlier, according to the study.
The demographics diverge significantly from Austria's general population. Women make up 61% of the Ukrainian population in the country, compared to 51% nationally — a disparity the study attributes to restrictions on men of military age leaving Ukraine. Half of all Ukrainians in Austria live in Vienna.
The Ukrainian community is also considerably younger: 30% are under 20 (versus 19% in Austria overall), 58% are of working age between 20 and 59 (compared to 53% nationally), and only 12% are 60 or older — less than half the Austrian average of 28%, according to the Integration Fund data.
The wider EU picture
Across the European Union, 4.35 million Ukrainians held temporary protection status at the end of 2025, Eurostat data shows. Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic host the largest absolute numbers of Ukrainian refugees, while relative to population size, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia lead.
Nearly half a million Ukrainians who had registered for temporary protection in Germany have since left the country.
