From protection to precarity: labour market integration and economic vulnerability among Ukrainian refugees

The activation of temporary protection following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine enabled displaced Ukrainians to enter European labour markets rapidly. As temporary protection has been repeatedly extended and residence pathways increasingly linked to employment, assessing the quality of labour market integration has become essential. This article examines employment patterns, working conditions, and in-work poverty among Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia. Using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, Study 1 draws on a nationwide survey of 474 displaced Ukrainians to provide a descriptive overview of economic and occupational status, job precarity, and material deprivation among women and men. Study 2 builds on these findings through a thematic analysis of 15 in-depth interviews with Ukrainian single mothers facing intersecting vulnerabilities related to gender, refugee status, and caregiving responsibilities. The findings indicate that although labour market participation is high and economic status appears relatively stable, employment is frequently characterised by occupational downgrading and precarious working conditions. Paid work often fails to protect households from material deprivation, particularly in relation to housing costs and everyday consumption. Qualitative findings reveal a reinforcing cycle in which low-quality employment, care responsibilities, and time scarcity constrain opportunities for skill recovery and upward mobility, resulting in in-work poverty despite continuous employment. The article concludes that employment-centred integration under temporary protection facilitates rapid labour market entry but does not necessarily ensure economic security, or the conditions needed to reconcile paid work and family care. The Slovak case highlights the limits of employment as a stand-alone integration strategy under conditions of protracted displacement.