Economy draws Ukrainians home

The World

This couple was living the American dream, and then after 15 years they decided to leave Chicago and come back to Kiev. The wife says there wasn’t a challenge anymore in America and amidst Ukraine’s social, political and economic upheaval, they found that challenge. The husband says he liked the adventure of being an immigrant in the US and now he has that feeling again in Ukraine. It may not sound good but does exemplify the mood in Ukraine. This analyst compares the trend of migration back to Ukraine to the American West during the late 19th century, meaning it’s civilized but it’s a place of opportunity. He says most of the newly emigrants are highly trained individuals. The married couple from earlier came from job experience in corporate America which makes them highly attractive to Ukrainian businesses and now they’re doing better than they were in Chicago. But the vast majority of Ukrainians don’t have the resume for Western-style jobs. In this Ukrainian town, several people tell me there are no jobs and nothing to do. They say people leave Ukraine and they don’t come back, but some people do come back after working in other neighboring countries like Russia.

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!