The US State Department warned Kyiv: mass emigration of workers will end badly for the country
The US State Department warned that labor migration of Ukrainians abroad could become a problem for the future of the country, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This was stated in an interview with Kyiv journalists by George Kent, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of the United States, responsible for the states of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, including Ukraine.
He recalled that, according to Polish data, at least 2 million Ukrainians work in Poland.
“This is great for the Polish economy, it helps balance the Polish pension system. This is not bad for a particular Ukrainian who earns more in Poland than at home. In the end, this is good for American companies in Poland, because they get a lot of smart workers from Ukraine who help the success of American businesses. But all this is not good for the future of Ukraine,” he said.
“Ukrainian talents achieve success, but not in your country,” the diplomat added.
He gave the example of Jan Koum, who moved from Fastov to California, where he created WhatsApp, sold it for $19 billion and donated 500 million to a Silicon Valley charitable foundation.
“But the Ukrainian authorities must make sure that the next “Yany Kumas” remain in Ukraine and someday donate 500 million for Kyiv, and not for San Francisco. Make sure that the next generation of Ukrainians stays in their country, so that they achieve success here, get an education, create a business - and ultimately give back to their community, as happens in Boston or San Francisco. This is the challenge that Ukraine faces,” noted George Kent.
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