Where and How Much Ukrainian Refugee Women Earn in Poland Without Experience or Language Skills

Without language skills or prior experience, women earn around 3,400–3,600 PLN per month (UAH 23,100–24,500 net). These are positions in food processing plants, logistics warehouses, and the service sector. During the peak season — which in Poland began in May and will last until the end of November — the number of job openings for women from Ukraine is expected to increase by 50–60%. This was reported by the analytics centre of employment agency Gremi Personal.

Most jobs are currently available in food processing — fish processing plants, meat-packing facilities, and delicatessen factories. Before the war, one third of low-skilled workers chose to work in such plants. Now, the number of vacancies in this sector is traditionally rising as businesses begin preparations for the Christmas season. In meat and fish packaging and processing, the average take-home salary is 3,400 PLN per month (UAH 23,100).

Work in logistics and e-commerce is also in demand among Ukrainian women with no language skills or prior experience. Order picking and warehouse work pays around 3,200 PLN per month (UAH 21,700).

"Due to the war, the number of women from Ukraine employed in Poland has surpassed the number of men — Gremi Personal alone has placed over a thousand women since 24 February. Ukrainian refugee women started looking for work about a month after arriving in Poland, as they initially needed time to recover from the stress. Some deliberately chose physical work in order to 'switch off'" — says Anna Dzhabolda, Director of the Recruitment Department at Gremi Personal.

During the tourist season, more job offers appear in the HORECA sector (hotels and restaurants). Housekeepers and kitchen assistants are offered salaries of 3,500–3,600 PLN (UAH 23,800–24,500).

In 2022, the minimum wage in Poland is approximately 2,363.57 PLN (UAH 16,000). The average salary in Poland for 2022 (after taxes) is approximately 3,311.08 PLN (UAH 22,500).

According to Paweł Szefernaker, the government's commissioner for Ukrainian refugees, 100,000 working-age Ukrainians have taken up employment in Poland — that is one in four of those who have been granted refugee status. Some 400,000 working-age individuals from Ukraine are registered in the PESEL database (national identification number), of whom over 100,000 are already legally employed in Poland.