For historical reasons, Czechia and Slovakia are not considered migrant countries. However, after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, several hundred thousand refugees arrived in these countries, a large number of whom remain there after more than two years due to the ongoing war. Thus, a postmigrant perspective can be useful because it makes visible the elements that are more likely to be associated with power inequalities, which are often only naturalised and thus obscured by emphasising ethnic or national difference. This naturalisation creates barriers that divide society into ‘us’ and ‘them’, eventually leading to overly narrow measures aimed at one group without changing the wider context. In particular, the need to have a capacity to aspire and to imagine one’s own future as something that people share across identities, and the societal need to have institutions that support rather than suppress this capacity, may be themes that, while seen through the lens of the migration experience, transcend it entirely for populations without direct migration experience.

The aim of the study is to examine how the perception of the future of de facto refugees — holders of temporary protection visas — from the Russian-Ukrainian war in Czechia and Slovakia has evolved depending on the environment in which they found themselves.

Based on focus group and narrative interviews with refugees, the research concludes that significant individual support, whether from the host family or their own family in Ukraine, was crucial to their ability to envision their future. The support may have been financial or material, such as free accommodation. However, interactions that enabled reflection on their own aspirations and ability to imagine the future were of significant importance. On the other hand, formal institutions placed many conditions on support, making it difficult to imagine the future. The ability to afford a work aspiration also stood out as a significant element, which was linked to the capacity to learn, therefore psychological and language support, and to have an identity other than that of a ‘mother protecting herself and her children’. This intersectional agency depended on support for care and housing security. Those who lacked the space to reflect on their aspirations — primarily due to material constraints and limited interaction with others — relied more on state institutions and lacked individualized help. As a result, they ended up in jobs that did not match their qualifications or aspirations, or they returned to Ukraine.

Although historically non-migrant societies, in Czechia and Slovakia migration became the new metanarrative. This study also considers migration an important trigger for change, while implicitly questioning its role as a metanarrative. Issues such as inaccessible psychological support, increasingly unaffordable housing, a lack of kindergartens, non-inclusive schooling, and job insecurity have little to do with migration. Thus, the migration issue masks unresolved social questions and postmigrant perspective can help us to move beyond the migration metanarrative to the roots of the problems.

Refugees face significant barriers to accessing and participating in the labour markets of receiving countries, often resulting in underemployment. Various reasons for these barriers include language difficulties, educational challenges, and restrictions on access to the labour market. While these challenges are common across many refugee groups, contextual factors significantly influence their ability to: 1) access the labour market, 2) find work that matches their qualifications, and 3) build a career over time. However, there is limited understanding of how refugees' careers develop over time.

In our study, we examine these challenges through the example of Ukrainian refugees in Austria. This group is particularly noteworthy because their situation differs from that of previous cohorts. This distinction arises from their immediate labour market access, granted under the European Union’s (EU) Temporary Protection Directive (TPD). Our aim is to understand how career transitions for Ukrainian refugees are shaped and how contextual factors within the EU impact their entry into the labour market and career development.

Drawing on career transition (CT) literature and theory, we analyze the current situation of Ukrainian refugees in Austria, examining different types of career transitions as refugees change geographic locations and often their industry and/or occupation. Consequently, our research question is: “How does the immediate labour market access of Ukrainian refugees in Austria impact their career transitions?”

We address this research question using qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews with 13 members of support organizations and 20 Ukrainian refugees in Austria. These interviews offer insights into the refugees' experiences and challenges in navigating the Austrian labour market.

While immediate labour market entry may appear advantageous and a privilege for Ukrainians, our data suggest it can be a double-edged sword regarding their future careers in Austria. Key findings indicate that Ukrainian refugees face challenges similar to those encountered by other refugee groups, such as language acquisition, societal integration, and recognition of qualifications. However, their immediate labour market access introduces additional complexities, conceptualized as "fields of tension"—including the balance between (1) work, (2) education, and (3) care obligations. Consequently, Ukrainian refugees must make difficult choices about which aspects to prioritize, as they cannot equally focus on all three areas simultaneously. Moreover, the interviews reveal that Ukrainian refugees exhibit distinct behaviors compared to previous cohorts; they are notably better connected, more informed, and often highly qualified, leading to a more targeted search for employment that aligns with their skills and qualifications.

Thus, adopting a broader perspective on the challenges and issues faced by Ukrainians in Austria regarding career transitions helps build knowledge for future situations where refugees and receiving societies encounter immediate labour market access. This is the core idea of our work.