Almost 3,300 Ukrainian refugees arrived into Ireland over the past two weeks, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The the new arrivals mean 47,962 Ukrainians have been accepted in the State since the Russian invasion of their home country on February 24th.
According to the fifth update on the State’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, published on Friday, women aged 20 and over account for 47 per cent of arrivals to date, while individuals aged 0 to 19 account for 36 per cent.
The highest percentage of those arriving (38 per cent or 18,079 individuals) were categorised as “one parent with children”.
This reflects the fact that the majority of people fleeing the Russian invasion were younger women and children, as men considered of fighting age were prohibited from leaving Ukraine.
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Some 15,627 arrivals have attended an employment event arranged by Intreo Public Employment Services. Of those, 67 per cent noted English language proficiency was a challenge in securing employment.
The majority of attendees at the employment event - 11,251 - had recorded previous occupations, with “professionals” being the largest group at 33 per cent
Of the 11,999 people for whom the highest level of education was recorded, 68 per cent had achieved an NFQ level equivalent to 7 or higher.
The data is based on the local post office address through which refugees seek assistance from the Department of Social Protection.
Using the local post office address as a proxy for place of residence for the 47,962 people who could be mapped to a local area, the CSO found that arrivals from Ukraine were present in all local electoral areas (LEAs) of the country.
North Inner City in Dublin had the highest number of associated arrivals from Ukraine at 1,542, the CSO said.
The CSO’s analysis shows that the rate per 100 of the population ranges across all LEAs in the country from 0.04 per cent to 7.19 per cent. The LEA with the highest rate is Ennistymon, Co Clare.
The CSO’s release comes as the State struggles to source enough accommodation to cater for the influx of refugees.
The Government is to issue a renewed call for accommodation, specifically premises that can accommodate at least 20 people. The appeal will allow for non-residential properties that can be repurposed, and they are likely to be sought for a period of up to six months.
Medium-term options to house people beyond hotels and other forms of emergency accommodation are being sought.
