The impact of global economic crises on migration: Ukraine and the world

Abstract

The article highlights a number of global economic crises that always have a significant impact on various aspects of social life, and one of the most striking manifestations of this impact is the change in migration flows. Economic challenges, such as the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, create unique conditions for changes in migration behaviour, both at the level of individual countries and globally.

The modern world is interconnected, and economic crises have a domino effect, affecting all continents. The financial crisis of 2008, which began in the United States, quickly spread to Europe and other regions, including Ukraine, creating economic pressure in countries that have traditionally been donor and recipient countries of migrants. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruptions in labour markets, affecting economic migration and internal mobility.

Economic instability has forced people to look for better opportunities abroad. During periods of crisis, migration routes changed as people sought to get to countries with more stable economic conditions. Therefore, in response to these crises and the war in 2022, Ukrainians migrated more actively to the EU.

Economic crises exacerbate demographic challenges for donor countries. Ukraine, which has long faced the phenomenon of brain drain, continues to lose its working-age population, which deepens its economic difficulties. For recipient countries, migrants are becoming an important source of labour market supply, especially in sectors requiring low-skilled labour. However, this also poses social challenges, in particular those related to the integration of migrants.

The war in Ukraine has become one of the most powerful factors that has changed migration flows in the world. A large number of Ukrainians were forced to leave the country, seeking protection and economic stability in the EU. This process has highlighted the disparities between the rich countries of the Global North and the poorer regions of the Global South, which do not have sufficient resources to help migrants.