Poland Hits Record for Foreign Workers
Apr 17, 2026
Category: Foreign Workers News Poland
Poland has recorded its highest number of foreign workers to date, with nearly 1.29 million people employed legally by the end of 2025.
The figure marks an 8% increase from the previous year and points to a labour market in which migration is becoming more permanent and more diverse.
Data from Poland’s social insurance office, ZUS, shows that Ukrainians remain the largest group of foreign workers, numbering 857,000, followed by 138,700 Belarusians.
At the same time, some of the fastest growth is coming from countries outside Europe, including Colombia, India, the Philippines, Nepal and Vietnam.
Hiring gaps widen
Poland’s growing reliance on foreign workers is tied to labour shortages and demographic pressure. Employers are increasingly looking abroad to fill gaps across manual jobs and specialist roles.
Żaneta Spadło, a career expert at InterviewMe, stated that the trend stems from limited job opportunities in migrants’ home countries as well as Poland’s own staffing shortages.
“This is the result not only of problems finding well-paid work in those countries, but also of the demographic crisis and staff shortages in Poland,” she said.
Employers are also changing what they want from candidates. Language skills and international experience are gaining weight in recruitment decisions, rather than a narrow focus on lower labour costs.
Krzysztof Inglot, a labour market expert at Personnel Service, said that operational roles still dominate, though demand is spreading into more specialised areas.
He pointed to rising demand for workers ranging from truck drivers and CNC operators to nurses and programmers, as companies try to fill both basic and advanced positions.
New routes reshape hiring
The makeup of Poland’s foreign workforce is shifting. Ukrainians remain the largest group, yet the country is also seeing fast growth in arrivals from Asia and South America.
Inglot claimed that non-European migration routes are now expanding the fastest. “The number of Nepalis rose by more than 30% last year. This points to a diversification of migration sources,” he said.
Workers from Colombia, India, the Philippines and Nepal are becoming more visible in the labour market. Data indicated that South American workers are gaining importance alongside those from Asia.
Mateusz Zubik, a project manager at Smart Solutions HR, stated that more candidates from those regions now see Poland as a long-term destination.
“This translates into greater employment stability and predictability from employers’ perspective,” he said, adding that workers from those regions often show high loyalty and lower turnover.
Workers plan to stay
A major change in Poland’s labour market is the number of foreign workers planning to remain for longer.
Elena Markuv, recruitment manager at Randstad’s Cross Border Staffing unit, stated that four in ten Ukrainians now intend to settle permanently.
“Instead of ‘just any job,’ they are looking for stability, secure contracts and real paths for advancement,” she said.
That shift is forcing employers to respond. Companies are competing on pay, job quality, working conditions and career prospects as workers become more selective.
Inglot added that workers are placing more value on stability, development, integration and family relocation. That change is pushing Poland further away from a short-term migration model.
Fees climb, delays bite
Demand for foreign labour is rising, yet businesses are also facing higher costs and administrative obstacles.
Markuv said that the fee for filing a declaration of employment rose from PLN 100 to PLN 400 in December. She warned that the increase affects both employers and workers, especially Belarusians.
Permit delays remain another problem. Long waiting times can disrupt hiring and, in some cases, push workers into the grey economy.
A reform introduced in June 2025 changed the rules around legal hiring. The update digitised procedures, removed the labour market test and clarified employer obligations.
Inglot said that the reform made legal hiring easier in some respects while also tightening compliance requirements and penalties for illegal employment.
Foreign labour settles in
The latest data suggests that foreign employment is no longer a temporary fix for Poland’s labour market.
Spadło said that several trends are now clear: reduced dependence on one source country, stronger demand for skilled workers, longer stays by migrants and a greater focus on formal compliance.
“Employers must think more strategically about hiring foreigners,” she said, adding that foreign employment has become a permanent feature of the economy because of Poland’s demographic crisis.
That shift means employers are likely to spend more effort on retention, integration and long-term workforce planning as foreign labour becomes more embedded in the economy.
Borders add new checks
The rise in foreign workers also intersects with new European border systems, though the impact differs depending on the type of migration involved.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) registers non-EU nationals travelling for short stays of up to 90 days. It records entry and exit data, along with biometric information, across 29 European countries, including Poland.
Most foreign workers in Poland are not directly affected by the system because holders of residence permits and long-stay visas are exempt from EES registration.
The system still matters for short-term arrivals. Authorities can use the data to identify overstays or people who enter without proper work authorization.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), due to begin operating in the last quarter of 2026, will add another screening step. The system will require travellers from 59 visa-exempt countries to obtain travel authorisation before entering 30 European countries.
The authorisation allows multiple short stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day period, though it does not give travellers the right to work or settle.
For Poland, that could affect recruitment from regions such as Latin America, where visa-free travel is common. Some potential workers may first enter under short-stay rules before moving into formal employment channels.
Border guards will still decide who can enter. Even with ETIAS approval, travellers must meet entry conditions and can be refused entry at the border.
Pressure shifts the market
Poland’s record number of foreign workers points to a deeper change in how the country fills its labour shortages.
Migration is becoming more diverse, more stable and more tied to the economy’s long-term needs. Employers are adjusting their hiring strategies, while new European border systems are tightening oversight of short-term travel.
The result is a labour market that depends more heavily on foreign workers, with a sharper divide between short-term entry and long-term employment routes.