Poland concerned by outflow of Ukrainian workforce
Polish employers are afraid that when other western countries open their labor markets, a significant number of Ukrainians may flow out of Poland, leaving a gap in the Polish labor market which will need to be filled, the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita writes.
According to the analysts, 7% of the work force has left Ukraine since 2015, moving primarily to Poland. However, they are starting to relocate from there to other western countries. Polish Work Service estimates that as many as 59% of Ukrainian workers could move to Germany, the Czech Republic or Lithuania.
“This is a great threat to the Polish economy. Within 2-3 months, the shortage of staff could grow from 165,000 to half a million people!” said Krzysztof Inglot, president of the Personnel Service agency. He believes this could result in huge pressure and affect the competitiveness of Polish companies.
On the other hand, many more Ukrainians will be able to work legally in Germany. Even now, Ukrainian workers are being poached by Czechs, Hungarians and Slovakians who have improved their employment terms and are offering better working conditions.
The situation could be particularly difficult in the construction sector, where 20-25% of employees are migrants from Ukraine or Belarus. If the Ukrainian workforce leaves, Poland will have to look for replacements from India, Nepal or Bangladesh.
Since the start of 2018, Poland has simplified its terms of employment for Ukrainians. Now, they no longer need a work visa to work in neighboring countries. They just need to cross the border with a biometric passport, and the employer will take care of all the other documentation.