Almost 75 % of Ukrainians working in Poland regularly send money to relatives in their homeland, with 35.4 % of them transferring more than half of their earnings, reports the Gremi Personal employment agency. In the first half of 2022, almost $6.5 billion in private remittances were sent to Ukraine.

Data from the analytical centre of the international employment agency Gremi Personal shows that almost 75% of Ukrainians working in Poland financially support their families in Ukraine, with 35.4 % of respondents sending more than half of their earnings and 39.1 % sending less than half. 10.9 % of respondents send nothing at all, and 14.6 % of respondents have moved with their families to Poland – the need for remittances has disappeared.

Gremi Personal cites statistics from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), according to which almost $6.5 billion in private remittances were sent to Ukraine in the first half of 2022, by 6.2% less than in the first six months of 2021.

The volume of remittances fell significantly in the first four months of this year, with the rapid increase in the number of war migrants abroad leading to a significant outflow of currency from Ukraine. However, already in June, the volume of private transfers reached 1.23 billion US dollars, 1.2 % more than in June 2021.

According to the NBU, the volume of remittances to Ukraine in 2021 increased by 25.4% to $15.026 billion compared to the previous year. This year, the total annual volume of transfers is expected to be around $12.6 billion.

Gremi Personal’s Anna Dzhobolda explains that Ukrainians’ incomes have fallen by more than a third due to the weakening of the hryvnia and the economic situation in general.

“Meanwhile, the inability of men to cross the border to earn money is prompting women to decide to go to European countries and financially support their families in Ukraine”, says Dzhobolda.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński