F24 - RemittancesReturn

Of all the post-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic is probably the only one that is marked by significant inflows of labour force. The largest group of migrants in the Czech Republic comprises the Ukrainians. In 2009, they made up 21% of all the foreigners legally residing in the country and in the previous years their share was even larger. In 2006 alone, 30 thousand Ukrainians migrated to the Czech Republic and the total share of Ukrainians constituted 46% of all the migrants. According to some members of the general public and politicians, migrants represent a burden to the Czech economy. The most notorious arguments against migration are that immigrants take up the jobs of local workers and that the money made in the Czech Republic ends up elsewhere. This analysis shows that labour migration, in our case Ukrainian labour migration to the Czech Republic, might mean a welfare gain for the Czech economy.