Ukrainian migrant workers in Poland. How Poles really relate to us

The number of working Ukrainians is growing rapidly in Poland. In just two years, the number of Ukrainian migrant workers grew by 23.8%. Over the year, the number of Ukrainian labor migrants increased by 19.2% – a record figure.

This was reported by the international employment company Gremi Personal with reference to data from the Polish Social Insurance Fund.

Despite the fact that the number of legally working Ukrainians in Poland is a record, there are still not enough workers. In autumn, Poland experienced an acute shortage of workers, which was associated with an active economic recovery. This year, the demand for workers has grown by 90%.

Where working hands are needed:

• at the enterprises of the food and processing industry:
• in the production of plastic products;
• in the logistics industry.

Why do Ukrainians go to Poland?

According to the research, 80.6% of Ukrainians go to work in Poland because of higher salaries than in Ukraine.

“Whether Ukrainians will continue to choose Poland as a country of labor migration will depend on whether Poland’s western neighbors will simplify the employment process and offer higher salaries,” – says the CEO of Gremi Personal Tomasz Bogdevich.

Now in Polish factories and plants you can earn 25-40 thousand hryvnia and more. From the New Year in Poland, the minimum hourly wage will rise. This means that on average, Ukrainians will earn 2 thousand UAH in Poland. more.

How Poles treat Ukrainians

According to the research of the analytical center Gremi Personal “Pulse of Labor Migration”, 81.4% of employees are satisfied with the attitude of the Poles. In Poland, there is no longer a single large enterprise where Ukrainians do not work.

And most Poles are used to the presence of their Ukrainian colleagues. In many factories, due to the large number of workers from Ukraine, instructions and plates are duplicated in Russian or Ukrainian.

Polish politicians and officials also note the contribution of Ukrainians to the Polish economy. In June 2020, the National Bank of Poland showed that in the period 2013-2018, workers from Ukraine provided an annual growth of Polish GDP by 0.5%.

Problems of Ukrainian migrant workers

Most often, Ukrainians at first encounter such difficulties as paperwork for stay, finding housing. Foreigners who want to obtain documents for residence in Poland on their own must fill in the documents themselves in Polish.

It is also often necessary to wait for documents longer than the due date when it comes to a residence card (temporary residence permit, Karta pobytu). The waiting process can take 1.5-2 years in some cities. Also, difficulties may arise with the search for housing.

As we wrote earlier, on the eve of the New Year, Ukrainians are increasingly sending applications for vacancies in Poland, where work experience is not needed. Because of this, utilities in Ukraine have risen in price, and the number of workers has increased – by 25%.