Citizens of Ukraine will continue to be a priority in employment for Polish employers.

Despite the projected certain slowdown of the Polish economy, workers from Ukraine will be needed in Poland next year as well.

According to ZUS Poland (Social Insurance Administration), in October the number of foreign workers paying insurance contributions reached a record 1.1 million people, which is 21% more than in January. Most of them are citizens of Ukraine.

At the same time, the slowdown of the labor market does not significantly affect unemployment in Poland, which remains in 2022 the lowest in recent years and has remained at the level of 5.1% since September. Therefore, the demand for foreign workers will remain, and Ukrainian citizens will continue to be a priority in employment for Polish employers – experts of the migration platform EWL claim.

The number of vacancies for workers from abroad in the first quarter of the new year will vary depending on the sector of the Polish economy. In general, there is less simple physical work in Polish enterprises in January due to the low production season and holidays. In addition, this year, entrepreneurs face a steady increase in operating costs caused by inflation, higher energy prices and increases, as well as the increase in the minimum wage in Poland, which have a large impact on the employment opportunities of new workers.

Instead, despite this, an increase in the number of vacancies is expected in the leading industries where Ukrainian citizens, including refugees, are employed – in the field of mass consumption goods (food, hygiene products, etc.) and in the field of logistics.

For citizens of Ukraine – those who are currently looking for work in Poland or plan to come in January – there are vacancies in logistics and e-commerce warehouses. This work is mainly related to the assembly and packaging of orders. It is in these industries that an increase in the number of vacancies is possible from the new year, since there is still a shortage of workers in the local market.

According to GUS (Poland’s General Statistical Office), the lack of workers, especially skilled workers, is still an obstacle for many companies. In November, this was indicated by almost four out of ten employers in the construction industry, and among large companies, almost half (48.3%).

38% of transport and logistics companies complain about the shortage of qualified workers, which has increased with the departure of Ukrainian men. True, some of them were replaced by refugees from Ukraine, but this did not solve all the problems of such enterprises. The shortage of workers due to the outflow of Ukrainian men also restrains the activity of every third enterprise in the processing industry. In the woodworking and metallurgical industry, more than half of employers complain about this obstacle.

Therefore, next year in Poland there will again be a shortage of workers in purely “male vacancies”, EWL experts assure.

Ukrainian refugees in Poland: details

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees have received the status of temporary protection in Poland. According to the Ministry of Family Affairs and Social Policy of Poland, more than 766,000 people were legally employed in December. This is almost ten times more than in April this year.

In Poland, the rules of residence for refugees have been changed. From March 2023, their stay in collective accommodation institutions will be paid for.