40,000 Ukrainians in Hamburg: Why the Job Often Doesn't Fit

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents 40,000 Ukrainians in Hamburg: Why the Job Often Doesn't Fit.

More than 40,000 people from Ukraine live in Hamburg—and most of them are well educated according to the Hamburger Abendblatt. This high level of qualification is precisely what makes the labor market record so striking. For many Ukrainian refugees, this means concretely: existing qualifications do not meet a position that matches them.

Across Germany there was progress in employment, but still a clear gap. According to Focus, only 51 percent of Ukrainians were in work in 2025. At the same time, according to Mediendienst Integration, the number of Ukrainian refugees finding a job in Germany has risen since 2022.

If you put these figures side by side, the conclusion is: integration is moving in the right direction but is not yet fully tapping the qualification potential.

40,000 in Hamburg: Lots of Education, One Open Job Question

The starting point in Hamburg

The Hamburger Abendblatt puts the number of 40,000 people from Ukraine living in the city. Most of them are said to be well educated. That means it is not the lack of qualification that is the central problem, but its transfer into suitable employment.

The starting point in Hamburg meets a nationwide difficulty. Many refugees have skills but do not find a position that matches their education to the same extent. The share of employed people is rising while, at the same time, underemployment relative to existing qualifications persists.

51 Percent in Work: Rising Number, Low Share

Trend and level

Mediendienst Integration reports that the number of Ukrainian refugees finding work in Germany has risen since 2022. That signals a positive development, but it does not yet answer how many people are employed sustainably and in a matching way.

Focus puts the share of Ukrainians in work in 2025 at 51 percent. Rising employment and a low share are not mutually exclusive: the first figure describes the direction, the second the level reached.

Why Not Every Job Matches the Qualification

The central gap

Integration success is not measured solely by whether someone has found a position. According to the available reports, another problem is the match: many Ukrainians are highly qualified but do not get a corresponding job.

A Bertelsmann study described by Allianbord also highlights the contradiction between underemployment and labor shortage. For those affected, this can mean working without using their qualification to the appropriate extent.

Why Unemployment Figures Alone Are Not Enough

The statistical perspective

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit points out that Ukrainian refugees only became visible in unemployment and basic-benefit statistics when they transitioned to benefits under Sozialgesetzbuch II. Labor market figures from different periods must therefore be read with this temporal limitation in mind.

That does not mean there was no unemployment beforehand. Those affected were simply not yet visible in the statistics mentioned. In addition, the figure of 51 percent refers to Germany as a whole and not specifically to Hamburg.

Billions of Euros and Still Behind Other Countries

The international comparison

WirtschaftsWoche reports on billions of euros in costs but sees no convincing success on the labor market. Another comparison by the paper also finds that fewer Ukrainians work in Germany than in other countries.

This does not contradict the rise in employment. A look at the development since 2022 and a comparison with other states answer different questions: domestically, the number of employed people is increasing; internationally, however, the share achieved remains lower according to WirtschaftsWoche.

The Balance Sheet Is Progress With a Clear Gap

What the figures prove—and what they don't

For you, the key takeaway is: many well-educated Ukrainians live in Hamburg, while their employment in Germany is not yet keeping pace with their qualification level. The 51 percent shows progress but also a clear integration task.

The reports prove a gap between qualification and matching work, as well as a lower employment share than in international comparison. They do not, however, allow a blanket statement about the weighting of individual causes. What is clear is that finding work and finding a professionally matching job are two different steps in this context.