Ukrainians Are No Longer the Fastest-Growing Foreign Group in Poland. Who Is Competing for Jobs?

As of the end of July, according to ZUS (Poland's Social Insurance Institution) data, 1.1 million foreign workers were officially employed, representing 6.5% of all people working in the country. This is 40,200 more than in January 2023 and nearly 73,000 more than in 2022.

Ukrainians still remain the largest group of foreign workers in Poland, but their share is declining — from 72% to 68.3% compared to last year. The July ZUS registers recorded 749,100 Ukrainian nationals, only 13,300 more than in July 2022. These figures were published by the Gremi Personal analytics centre. The agency reports that since 2022 it has begun attracting more workers from Asia and South America, who are not yet covered by the simplified procedure that makes employment faster and easier. Currently, due to the labour shortage in Poland, sectors such as construction and manufacturing — particularly the food industry — as well as agriculture and the hospitality sector are suffering significantly. Although it is relatively easy to obtain a work permit, the visa rejection rate is quite high — in Central Asian countries, for example, it stands at no less than 20%. For this reason, Ukrainians and residents of countries with simplified access to the Polish labour market (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, etc.) will continue to dominate. At the same time, competition for workers from these countries is already being felt from Western European nations, where there is a large labour deficit. For Ukrainian workers this is good news, as competition drives wages up. However, we believe the trend of hiring workers from Asia and Africa will inevitably continue to grow.

"We are watching Poland fill up with various nationalities, and at this rate it will resemble Germany or the United Kingdom within 8 to 10 years — economies to which people from all over the world migrate. Our agency alone employs more than 14 nationalities, from the Philippines to Algeria. This is a very positive sign for post-war Ukraine, to which not only Ukrainians will return, but to which we firmly plan to attract citizens of various countries to support its reconstruction and development," says Yevhen Kirichenko, founder of the international employment agency Gremi Personal.

He adds that despite the multinational structure of the labour market, Polish employers prefer Ukrainian workers. They highlight their strong work ethic and ability to adapt quickly to a new linguistic and cultural environment.