How Many Ukrainians from Poland Came Home for Easter This Year Compared to Last Year.

In the period from April 1 to 16, according to border guard data, 477,200 Ukrainians entered Ukraine from Poland. This period covers the two weeks immediately before Easter this year. That is 54% more than the same period last year. In 2022, during the two weeks before Easter — from April 9 to 23 — 309,900 Ukrainians crossed into Ukraine.

These figures were published by the analytical centre of the international employment agency Gremi Personal, citing the Polish Border Guard.

"Ukrainians working in Poland typically travel back to Ukraine en masse three times a year — for Easter, Christmas, and at the end of August due to the harvest season. To see how Ukrainians' plans abroad are changing, we chose a two-week window ahead of Easter for our analysis. Of course, last April the sense of danger was especially acute: while it was mostly women and children travelling to Poland, those returning to Ukraine in the opposite direction were predominantly men going back to defend their country" — says Anna Dzhabolda, Head of the Recruitment Department at Gremi Personal.

The agency also notes that this year, in the week after Easter — from April 17 to 23 — a total of 192,000 Ukrainians entered Poland, even more than in the same period last year, when the figure was 148,900.

"We link this to the start of seasonal work. If last year people were going to Poland mainly for safety reasons, that motivation has now shifted — people are travelling to earn money and return to Ukraine. By autumn of this year, the number of job enquiries had almost reached pre-war levels" — the expert adds.

In late spring, the most popular seasonal vacancies are greenhouse work, hospitality and food service, and the traditional packaging of meat and fish products. There has also been a recent increase in demand for workers in yacht manufacturing. As a rule, those working in simple jobs that require no language skills or advanced qualifications can expect to earn around $1,000 per month, depending on the number of hours worked. Overall, the labour market trend has shifted: whereas last year there were almost no vacancies available for women, this year employers are openly competing for female workers from Ukraine.