The Polish labor market has reached a turning point. On one hand, record-low unemployment and growing demand for workers; on the other, demographics leave no illusions. Increasingly, we hear that “there are not enough people to work,” but this is only the surface of a much deeper and global phenomenon.
Labor migration is neither a temporary trend nor the result of isolated crises. It is a systemic response to demographic and economic imbalances worldwide. Poland has just become one of the key pieces in this global puzzle.
Global Migration Trends – Why Do People Move for Work?
According to UN data, more than 280 million migrants live in the world today, the vast majority moving for economic reasons. The direction is clear:
countries with younger populations → countries with aging populations and developed economies.
Europe is one of the main migration “magnets,” yet Europe itself is aging rapidly. In many countries:
- the number of people of working age is decreasing,
- pension systems are under pressure,
- local labor markets cannot regenerate on their own.
Migration thus becomes a stabilizing mechanism for economies, rather than an extraordinary phenomenon.
Poland in the European Context – From Emigration to Destination Country
Just a decade or so ago, Poland was a country people were leaving. Today, it is increasingly becoming a country people are moving to.
According to the Central Statistical Office (GUS):
- over 1.1 million foreigners work in Poland,
- they account for approximately 6.5–7% of all employees,
- they come from more than 150 countries,
- this number grows steadily year by year.
The largest group remains Ukrainian citizens, but migration patterns are changing rapidly. A growing share comes from:
- Asia (Philippines, India, Nepal, Uzbekistan),
- the Caucasus and Central Asia,
- Latin America (Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico).
This is an important signal: Poland is no longer just a regional market; it is beginning to operate in global competition for workers.
Poland as a New Labor Hub in Central Europe
Why Poland?
Several factors play a role:
- a relatively stable economy,
- a large industrial and logistics sector,
- competitive (though rising) labor costs,
- geographic location,
- developed production infrastructure.
For many foreigners, Poland is:
- the first EU country they enter,
- a transitional stage for further migration,
- or a place for long-term stability.
For Polish companies, this means one thing: the labor market has become international—whether businesses are ready for it or not.
Business Challenges – Why Statistics Alone Don’t Solve the Problem
An increasing number of foreigners in the labor market does not automatically mean companies no longer have staffing problems. On the contrary.
From a company perspective, challenges are increasingly shifting from the question:
“Will we find workers?”
to:
“Can we realistically manage this process?”
Companies face, among other things:
- high employee turnover,
- absences and team instability,
- language and communication barriers,
- cultural differences,
- complex and changing legal procedures,
- housing and logistical issues,
- pressure on deadlines and quality.
In practice, this means the problem is not a lack of people, but the absence of stable, predictable work models.
Foreigners as a Solution to Challenges – But Only with the Right Approach
The labor market paradox is that:
- foreign workers are essential,
- but a poorly organized collaboration model increases chaos rather than reducing it.
For businesses, the key is not merely employment but:
- work organization,
- operational responsibility,
- process continuity,
- quality and repeatability.
In this sense, foreigners are not a “patch” for labor market problems but a component of a larger system requiring a new approach to workforce management.
Polish Economy at a Crossroads
The Polish labor market has entered a phase in which:
- classic employment models are no longer sufficient,
- the scale and complexity of processes are growing,
- personnel management has become one of the main business risks.
Labor migration will intensify. This is a fact, not a forecast. The question is not “if,” but how companies will learn to work with it.
A Few Words in Conclusion
At Pajmon CPT, we have been operating at the intersection of the Polish labor market and international teams for many years, observing these changes from an operational, not just statistical, perspective.
In the next article, we will show why classic employment models increasingly fail and what alternatives industrial companies are choosing today to ensure stability and continuity of operations.
