Representatives of 14% of Polish firms surveyed last year hired citizens of Belarus, 30% – citizens of Ukraine (some companies work with both). For comparison: in 2023, 10% of the surveyed firms hired Belarusians, while in 2020 – only 3.7%. This is evidenced by the data of the study, published this year, conducted by the company Personnel Service.
What foreigners work in Poland and how much they earn
In 38% of cases, foreigners work in lower-level positions in Polish companies (45% a year earlier), and in 39% of cases they work in middle-level positions (40% a year earlier). The share of foreigners working in top positions increased from 9% to 15% over the year.
According to statements by company management, 39% of foreigners earned gross earnings between PLN 31.4-34.9 (EUR 7.42-8.24), 37% between 35 and 39.9 (EUR 8.27-9.43) and 11% over 40 (EUR 9.45) per hour.
The problems?
Employers name language barrier (27%), cultural differences (21%), high cost of employment (14%), difficulties in legalization (11%) as the main difficulties in hiring foreigners.
About 17% of Polish employees stated that they work together with foreigners permanently, another 23% – periodically. 57% of respondents said that they do not work with foreigners. A positive attitude towards foreign workers was declared by 36% of respondents, neutral – 43%, negative – 14%, and another 7% found it difficult to answer.
About 69% of Poles are not afraid that foreigners may take away their jobs. But 21% of Polish workers express such fears. At the same time, 33% of respondents expressed the opinion that the presence of foreigners slows down the rate of wage growth in Poland. 36% believe that foreigners do not affect the growth of wages.
“These results show that the approval of international collectives is relatively high, but its sustainability depends largely on workers’ perception of economic stability and transparent communication in organizations,” according to the authors of the survey.
