HOW MANY UKRAINIANS PLAN TO STAY IN POLAND — RESEARCH

38% of Ukrainian refugees will remain in Poland, 7% plan to move from Poland to another country, and 55% will return to Ukraine.

Of those, 82% of Ukrainians who plan to return say they will come back to Ukraine after victory. 8% said they intend to go home this spring, 6% plan to return in summer, and 4% — in autumn.

The survey was conducted by the analytical centre of the international recruitment company Gremi Personal using an online questionnaire method. Ukrainian citizens aged 18 to 60, residing in all regions of Poland since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, were invited to participate. Survey period: 3 — 31 March 2023. Number of respondents: 1,270 people.

The mood among Ukrainians has noticeably shifted over the past six months. In October 2022, only 17% of respondents said they did not plan to return to Ukraine, 22.4% intended to go home within the next 3 months, 35% were prepared to stay in Poland for at least a year, and 25.6% planned to return once the war ended. "The number of Ukrainians who do not plan to return home has doubled in six months. This may reflect a range of factors. Some people no longer have anywhere to return to — primarily those from eastern and southern Ukraine whose homes have been destroyed by the Russian occupiers. Many people have already adapted to life in Poland, found jobs and enrolled their children in Polish schools. Some women have built relationships with Polish men and no longer wish to part ways" — says Anna Dżobolda, Director of the Recruitment Department at Gremi Personal.

The agency also notes an important factor that has influenced Ukrainians' plans to stay — the opening of Ukrainian businesses in Poland. Since the second half of last year, more than 10,000 Ukrainian companies have established operations in Poland, actively seeking to hire Ukrainians. As a result, highly qualified professionals who were forced by the war to take on low-skilled jobs now have the opportunity to fill quality positions and earn Polish salaries.

The majority of Ukrainians who have been in Poland for an extended period are learning or have already learned the Polish language, which opens up new horizons on the job market. A survey conducted in March of this year shows that only 10% of Ukrainians have no desire to learn Polish, while the same proportion said they have already mastered it fluently. 30% of respondents are already able to communicate freely, while 50% are in the process of learning but admit they find it difficult.

Poland has taken in the largest number of Ukrainians among all countries since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Approximately 2 million Ukrainians live here. Some 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens have received a PESEL identification number. And according to data from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), 739,000 Ukrainians are already officially employed.