The Foreign Labour Market in Poland in a Transitional Period

The Polish labour market is entering a transitional phase — the number of workers from Asia is declining, hiring procedures are becoming increasingly complicated, and employers are now largely relying on Ukrainian nationals. Recruitment market experts warn that if companies do not begin planning their staffing needs sufficiently in advance, serious labour shortages may emerge in the near future.

According to data from the Gremi Personal Analytics Centre, Ukrainians currently account for as much as 75–80% of all foreign workers employed in Poland. Among the Asian workers still present in the market, the largest groups arrived from Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Filipinos are very few in number, and their recruitment is complex and time-consuming. Colombians are still being hired, but if regulations limiting entry on biometric passports come into force, this group will also begin to shrink. Meanwhile, nationals of Kazakhstan and African countries (including Nigeria) currently make up approximately 10% of the workforce.

The average age of foreign workers in Poland is 35–47 years. Among Ukrainian nationals, women predominate, while among Asian workers as many as 70% are men. Job offers for women are significantly fewer, but those that do appear are filled almost instantly.

Most commonly, foreign workers find employment in logistics, e-commerce, warehousing, and food processing. There is also growing demand for specialists — welders and operators of equipment subject to UDT (Technical Inspection Authority) oversight. A recurring challenge in this area is the requirement to pass tests in Polish, which many candidates from Asia find difficult.

The average employment duration for foreign workers ranges from 6 to 20 months, though many remain in Poland considerably longer — a year, two, or even three. Contracts are most often concluded for one year and readily renewed, which helps reduce turnover. Nevertheless, turnover remains at 20–30%, particularly among men, who have a wide range of job offers to choose from.

Employment agency analysts note that they are increasingly encountering serious challenges — for example, situations where employers place large orders "overnight," expecting 50 workers available from Monday. This complicates recruitment and lowers its quality. Lengthy visa procedures for workers from outside Europe also remain a significant problem. Experts predict that if current restrictions on arrivals from Asia persist, Poland's labour market will face serious staff shortages, particularly in manufacturing and logistics.

First, the market is currently closed to many workers from Asia — there are virtually no new arrivals. Second, hiring migrants already present in Poland is becoming increasingly difficult, and employers are gradually moving away from this group. As a result, over the next six months to a year, the number of Asian workers in the labour market will steadily decline. Some of those who arrived earlier will remain for now, but their situation is also uncertain — authorities are increasingly refusing to issue work permits, which may force them to return to their home countries. Poland is not a country where foreigners come for social benefits. They come here to work. But if the procedures continue to make hiring them so difficult, serious staffing problems will become inevitable — comments Anna Dzhobolda, Director of the International Recruitment Department at Gremi Personal.