Among the foreigners that Polish entrepreneurs are turning to, in addition to Ukrainian workers, more and more are residents of Asia, including Kazakhstan, and also South America – according to the latest "Polish Labor Market Barometer" from Personnel Service.
Ukrainians are the most sought-after foreigners
Up to 25% of all Polish companies that plan recruitment this year (a declaration made by 18% of enterprises) intend to look for candidates among foreigners as well. The fact that Ukrainians are the largest group of foreigners working in Poland is no coincidence. First, after waves of migration of Ukrainian citizens to Poland, there simply are thousands of Ukrainians. Second, they are the most culturally similar to Poles, which is a factor that convinces entrepreneurs to hire citizens from our eastern border.
Data from ZUS summarizing May of this year show that over 1.3 million foreigners were insured in Poland. Ukrainians still dominate, but already one in three foreign workers comes from another country. This shows that the Polish labor market is gradually diversifying” – said Krzysztof Inglot, president of the Polish Outsourcing Association, labor market expert, and founder of Personnel Service, quoted in the statement.
The Polish labor market may soon face a shortage of Ukrainians, which could mean the need to broaden interest to workers from other countries, especially from Asia and South America, which are increasingly present in Poland. This is related to the fact that the waves of Ukrainians arriving in our country are gradually decreasing.
“In recent weeks, there has been much talk about possible returns of some Ukrainians, but from the perspective of employers, the bigger challenge is not a one-time outflow of workers, but the fact that there will be no next large wave of migration from Ukraine. While companies are opening up to new candidates from Asia, the Caucasus, or South America, preferences remain unchanged. If they have the opportunity, entrepreneurs still prefer to hire Ukrainian workers, who are well known to the Polish labor market and culturally closer to us” – emphasizes Krzysztof Inglot.
According to the "Polish Labor Market Barometer" from Personnel Service, 55% of Polish companies do not plan to hire foreign workers this year. It is worth noting that interest in foreigners is higher the larger the company. Among large enterprises, the percentage of companies planning to hire foreigners is as high as 44%.
The most represented sectors are those that have been struggling with labor shortages for years. Among them is the TSL sector – transport, forwarding, and logistics, where workers are sought in large numbers. For years, foreigners have filled gaps in this sector. As many as 45% of entrepreneurs in this branch of the economy conduct foreign recruitment. A large share of foreigners is also sought in other sectors. In production it is 28% and in construction and trade after 23%.
Why do companies decide not to hire foreigners?
The majority of companies in Poland that plan recruitment this year do not intend to seek workers from abroad. That is 55%. Why? Among the most frequently cited reasons are not cultural differences, which 21% of surveyed companies cited. The biggest obstacle turns out to be the language barrier (27% of companies). Among the obstacles that cause enterprises not to decide to hire foreigners, respondents also pointed to organizational and cost characteristics (14%), as well as complex formalities related to hiring foreigners (11%).
“The Polish labor market is entering a new stage today. For years, entrepreneurs could assume that the main source of foreign workers would be Ukraine. Today this model is no longer sufficient. Not because we are facing a mass outflow of Ukrainians, as many of them have tied their professional and private lives to Poland, but because the period in which we could count on further large waves of migration from that direction is ending. This means that companies must simultaneously more effectively retain current employees and open up to new markets. Employers who can efficiently conduct international recruitment, integrate multicultural teams, and build a work environment attractive regardless of the employee's country of origin will win” – summarizes Krzysztof Inglot from Personnel Service.
Companies looking for workers, including those from abroad, increasingly use employment agencies that also recruit foreigners. 11% of companies do this constantly, and 16% seasonally. The size of the enterprise also matters. Among large companies, as many as 67% declare that they use agency assistance.
Among all employers in Poland, 37% indicate that they do not use agency help.
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