2023-06-13
National Audit Office: it is not enough to grant asylum to refugees, they need to be better integrated into the labour market and education system
In accepting war refugees from Ukraine, the country's institutions have concentrated and have taken the necessary measures, but the coordination of the integration process, integration into the labour market and education system still needs to be strengthened. These are the findings of the National Audit Office auditors in the audit "Assistance to refugees and their social integration".
Institutions involved in the integration of refugees have faced a challenge in accepting them: between 2020 and 2022, 869 people were granted asylum, the number of asylum seekers increased by 2.6 times, and 68,352 war refugees from Ukraine received temporary protection in 2022.
"Refugees receive social support, healthcare and education services. However, we found a lack of cooperation between the state, municipalities and non-governmental organisations, especially greater involvement of local governments in ensuring proper reception of refugees. Some municipalities have managed to organise the process efficiently, such as Jonava municipality, which has a one-stop shop for asylum seekers and Ukrainians", says Rasa Rakauskienė, Audit Team Leader.
Improving employment opportunities for refugees contributes to preserving human dignity, facilitating integration, and enabling them to realise their skills and economic potential. In 2022, 56.9% of Ukrainians registered with the Employment Service found jobs. 30% of them were employed in shortage occupations, thus alleviating the problem of regional labour shortages. More active retraining measures and better knowledge of the Lithuanian language would increase the employability of refugees.
Learning the Lithuanian language during integration is one of the most important elements, but in 2020-2022 only 5.6% of asylum seekers in the Refugee Reception Centre and 37.8% in the municipalities were learning Lithuanian.
Psychological trauma and school breaks make it more difficult for refugee children to join the education process than other migrant children. Timely educational support and remedial classes would help them to continue their education. Such classes are available in 13 municipalities, but were not available in some major cities, e.g., Kaunas and Klaipėda. Schools lack educational assistance, with 6% of Ukrainian children receiving it in 2022.
Taking into account the changes in the provision of education, employment and health services to refugees in 2023, the measures planned by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour for the integration of refugees up to 2024, and the fact that the implementation of recommendations made in previous audits would help to improve the integration of refugees, the audit is completed with a preliminary study.