Oleksandra Slobodian, a migration expert at the CEDOS think-tank, breaks down some of the available statistics on Ukrainian labour migration during the pandemic for Novoye Vremya.

Based on data from Ukraine’s border service, Slobodian calculates that approximately 450,000 people returned to Ukraine since countries began imposing lockdown measures and travel restrictions in March. However, with the gradual reopening of borders and resumption of international transport, an increasing number of Ukrainians have been going abroad once again.

From June to September, the number of people exiting the country exceeded the number entering by 320,000. That said, traffic volumes still haven’t returned to the levels seen last year. In particular, cross-border traffic with Poland has been slow to resume.

“The data shows a relatively faster resumption of traffic on the border with Hungary and Romania, which may indicate the redirection of migration flows depending on the strictness of the quarantine regulations of neighbouring countries,” Slobodian says.

Assessing data on remittances from the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), Slobodian notes that the first half of the year saw an uptick in the share funds being sent through bank accounts and money transfer systems – a change she attributes to the loss of unofficial means of transferring money back to Ukraine.

“It is likely that the usual informal channels (such as transfers through acquaintances and drivers) became less accessible to Ukrainians during quarantine and restrictions on passenger traffic and they temporarily refocused on more accessible official channels,” Slobodian explains.

Meanwhile, administrative data from Poland indicates that as of September, the number of Ukrainians registered as official workers had returned to the level seen in February. “At the same time, the number of declarations and permits for seasonal employment did not reach the level of 2019 as of September,” Slobodian says.

“Signs of a relatively rapid resumption of labour migration indicate that it’s an integral part of the life strategies of many families in Ukraine,” she concludes. “Despite the higher health risks and a vulnerable position in the labour markets of destination countries, many Ukrainians can’t give up this source of income, even for a relatively short time.”

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This article originally appeared in FPRI's BMB Ukraine newsletter. Click here to learn more about BMB Ukraine and subscribe to the newsletter.