Fears that express integration will make Ukrainians a new underclass in Norway

Things are moving too quickly when over 75,000 Ukrainians are now slipping through the Norwegian integration system.

When the flow of refugees hit Norway, the authorities had to take action. A number of temporary exceptions and shortcuts were put in place so that Norwegian municipalities could take in thousands of war refugees in a short time. But now this backfires on the Ukrainian refugees.

They receive a poorer integration offer, fewer Norwegian lessons and struggle to get a job, recent reports show.

– The Ukrainians only have temporary protection. The authorities want them to return when possible. Therefore, it is easier to be a little less ambitious for this group, says Fafo researcher Guri Tyldum.

As a result, you may not put in the extra work and resources needed to ensure a lasting connection.

The key here is the Norwegian labor market. And it takes a lot of effort to get a place in it.

Fast track with poor results

This week Fafo presented two reports on Norwegian integration. They come with clear warnings: 75,000 Ukrainians are now slipping through the Norwegian integration system. But it goes too fast in the corners. Only half of the municipalities give Ukrainians the same introduction offer as other refugees.

One report reveals that 9 out of 10 Ukrainians receive an abbreviated introduction programme, which is actually meant for refugees with a lot of previous education and competence.

The result can be seen here:

– You end the program before they have learned enough to get an OK job and the possibility of a stable connection to work, suggests Guri Tyldum.

Because it hasn’t gone very well:

• Only 46 per cent found work after the card programme. Only 1 in 100 continued with education.
• What is normal for all refugee groups is that 65 percent end up in work one year after finishing the introductory course.
• Among Ukrainians with only half a year’s introductory course, only 22 percent ended up in work.

Other findings in the reports are this:

• Ukrainians receive an average of 637 hours of measures. Refugees from other countries with the same level of education get 880 hours.
• Only 40 percent of the municipalities offer social studies or life skills for Ukrainian refugees.
• Ukrainians receive poorer Norwegian education. Only 1 in 3 municipalities offer Norwegian courses in the evenings and at weekends.
• Less than half of the municipalities have teaching that is required for coordinated admission.
• Parental guidance is mandatory in introductory courses. But Ukrainians get a shorter course. 2 out of 10 municipalities do not offer such courses.
• There is a great shortage of teachers and career guidance counselors in the municipalities.
• Few Ukrainians receive an adapted offer, especially people with health challenges.

What consequences can this have?

This is what the researcher says about the situation

– The danger is that we get a significant group of Ukrainians who do not learn Norwegian. They are then either unable to find work at all. Or they end up in the parts of the labor market where the contracts are short and informal, everything is unpredictable and the pay is low, warns Tyldum.

The research also shows that it pays to invest in integration:

• Municipalities that offer more hours in introductory courses get more Ukrainians into work.
• Most important is the number of hours with Norwegian.

Because even if the municipalities have the opportunity to strip down the offer in order to manage to settle a record number of Ukrainians, it can be expensive in the long run.

– If we believe that they will return home in two years, it may not be so dangerous. But if they don’t return, we potentially have a pretty big problem in a few years.

The Fafo researcher believes that many Ukrainians will stay in Norway even if there is peace in their home country. In 2023, 1 in 3 Ukrainians answered that they envision a future in Norway.

– I have worked with migration and return of refugees for over 15 years. And I will be surprised if there is any significant return to Ukraine when it becomes possible.

That half return is an optimistic scenario, Tyldum believes.