60-70% of Ukrainians who fled during invasion likely to stay abroad - investment banker

He shared this view on Espreso TV.

“After the war, our biggest challenge for Ukraine will be depopulation, as many people have left the country. Even before the full-scale invasion, we were already facing a shortage of labor and skilled professionals, and this issue will only worsen. It won’t be possible to bring everyone back from abroad. The longer the war continues, the more people will settle into their new lives overseas. If they are happy in countries like Germany, Portugal, or Canada, they are unlikely to return. We need to accept that we probably won’t get 60-70% of these people back. This will create significant problems, including for retirees, since pensions need to be funded somehow,” he said.

According to Fursa, the only way to support Ukraine's economy under these circumstances is through labor migration.

“We have only one solution - labor migration, which means attracting workers from other countries to the Ukrainian economy. We can't avoid this. Even now, during the war, there are companies that can bring in 100 to 200 workers from Tajikistan or Kyrgyzstan. This will increase after the war. It will either be a chaotic process or the state will need to manage it strategically for national benefit. Unfortunately, politicians avoid discussing migration because it's a very unpopular topic among Ukrainians. Additionally, our society still remains quite chauvinistic. Politicians steer clear of the subject, which creates a problem,” the banker stated.

• On Wednesday, August 21, the Lithuanian government extended the validity of temporary residence permits for refugees from Ukraine until March 2026.