Demand for Ukrainian-speaking workers in Poland has grown almost 10-fold – what is driving this trend?

Since August of last year, the international employment agency Gremi Personal has been recording a peak surge in demand for Ukrainian-speaking workers in Poland. While just a few years ago employer requests for Ukrainian-speaking candidates averaged 200–250 per year, in the second half of 2022 the total number of requests already exceeded one thousand. As of early 2023, this upward trend continues.

At the same time, between January and September 2022, more than 10,000 Ukrainian companies registered in Poland. This is according to a report by the Polish Economic Institute. In total, Poland now has over 25,000 companies in which at least one of the shareholders is a Ukrainian entity. This data comes from the Central Registration and Information on Business (CEIDG) in Poland.

According to publicly available sources, the following companies recently opened branches in Poland: Nova Poshta, Rozetka, Haski Management. Others have announced upcoming openings: Monobank, DIA.Business, Dokument, the Ukrainian Catholic Institute, the GastroFamily chain (Bilyy Nalyv, BPSh, Mushlya), and restaurants: Chornomorka, Galia Balovana, P'yana Vyshnia, Gaga. Retail brands include: Try Vedmedi, Limo, Spell Chocolate, construction company Yevrodom/Nova, and many others.

Try Vedmedi, Limo, Spell Chocolate, construction company Yevrodom/Nova, and many others. "Since August 2022, we have been tracking requests specifically for Ukrainian-speaking employees. Ukrainians in Poland want to work for Ukrainian companies, at least partly because it means working in a familiar linguistic environment. It is also an opportunity to obtain a good position without knowing Polish and to work at a qualification level no lower than in Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian companies themselves prefer to hire Ukrainians. Our agency has also seen cases of cooperation with representatives of the defence industry sector who relocated their production to Poland for security reasons. We hope we are witnessing the emergence of a new trend," says Anna Dzhabolda, Director of the Recruitment Department at the international employment agency Gremi Personal. Due to the war, more than 5 million Ukrainians have left the country. According to official data, over 1 million of them have remained in Poland — roughly the same number as those who came before the war began.

The expert adds: "Millions of Ukrainians currently living in Europe are accustomed to Ukrainian products and services and want to continue using them even while in Poland or Germany. In response to these circumstances, businesses are beginning to react by expanding into new foreign markets. Some Ukrainian companies have likely already outgrown the domestic market in terms of growth and strategic planning. This trend creates additional incentives for the Polish market, which is large and, until now, free of Ukrainian competition. However, all players recognise that growth at this moment comes through diversification and expansion."

The agency notes that requests from Ukrainian businesses in the process of relocation have their own specific character. For example, for roles such as sales managers, Ukrainian businesses tend to look among Poles or Ukrainians who speak Polish fluently. However, where the role does not require external communication, Ukrainian companies tend to prefer hiring fellow Ukrainians.