Who Competes with Ukrainians for Jobs in Poland

As of the end of October, 779,300 Ukrainians were officially employed in Poland, accounting for 66.7% of all employed foreign nationals. According to data from ZUS (Poland's Social Insurance Institution), a total of 1.168 million foreign workers are officially employed in the country. At the end of 2023, out of 1.125 million officially employed foreigners, 750,000 were Ukrainian citizens — the same 66.7% share of total foreign workers as this year.

The analytics centre of international recruitment agency Gremi Personal has examined which foreign nationals compete with Ukrainians for jobs in Poland.

Within the agency, Ukrainians account for 68% of all placed foreign workers. Second place is shared by Georgians and Belarusians at 7% each. Workers from Moldova make up 6%, those from Colombia and Zimbabwe — 3% each, the Philippines and Uzbekistan — 2% each, and Rwanda and Armenia — 1% each. This is the TOP-10 by country of origin. In total, 40 nationalities are represented among the 15,000 people who found employment through the agency this year.

Ukrainians traditionally remain the largest group of foreign workers in Poland, and their share has not changed over the past year.

Since 2022, due to a shortage of Ukrainian men, Poland has begun attracting more workers from Asia, Africa, and even South America. Since these workers are not covered by the simplified employment procedure, sectors that require skilled tradespeople — such as welders, plumbers, electricians, lathe operators, painters, drivers, and unqualified physical labourers — are struggling with workforce shortages in Poland.

The agency also notes that employment statistics have changed significantly over three years. Before the war, 60% of job seekers were men; since March 2022 that figure has dropped and has stabilised at 40%, with women now making up the remaining 60%.

"The shortage of male Ukrainian workers is driving demand among Polish employers. On one hand, workers are becoming more selective when choosing a job; on the other, employers face high staff turnover. Competition for workers is pushing up rates and improving working conditions — which is clearly an advantage for Ukrainian workers", — says Anna Dżobolda, Head of the Recruitment Department at Gremi Personal.

The agency believes the trend of hiring workers from Asia and Africa will continue to grow in the future. Nevertheless, despite the increasingly multinational structure of the labour market, Polish employers currently still prefer Ukrainians — not only because of the simplified employment procedure, but also because of their strong work ethic and ability to adapt quickly, qualities that Polish employers consistently highlight.