Poland seeks to attract another million workers as labor shortages persist

The share of companies in Poland experiencing a shortage of workers exceeded 50% in June, Rzeczpospolita writes with reference to data from a study by the Polish Economic Institute (PIE) and Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK).

In order to maintain the pace of economic growth, Poland needs to fill one million vacancies by 2027, according to the study.

The current increase in the share of enterprises with a labor shortage is partly related to the beginning of the period of seasonal work. However, the lack of workers was felt even earlier: in May, 46% of Polish companies were understaffed.

The baby boomer generation is leaving the Polish labor market, and the influx of foreigners is not enough to fill vacancies.

Ukrainians, who left en masse for Poland after the start of the full-scale war, could not comprehensively solve the problem of labor shortage. Ukrainians, the majority of whom are women, practically do not work in those industries where the labor shortage is especially acute: construction, industry, meat and fish farming. Moreover, the large number of job openings gives Ukrainians seeking employment more options to find well-paid and non-strenuous positions.

According to the Central Statistical Office, by the end of 2022, the largest number of foreigners in Poland worked in the field of transport and logistics (11.5%), as well as in the hotel and restaurant business (10%). At the same time, only 6.6% of foreigners work in construction, and every third construction company experiences a shortage of workers.

Today, almost all branches of Polish industry depend on the influx of foreign workers, according to Tomasz Bogdewicz, CEO of the employment agency Gremi Personal.

"That is why it is important that Poland does not limit the inflow of foreigners, especially workers from Asia, who compensate for the lack of Ukrainian men fighting in Ukraine," Bogdewicz is quoted as saying by the publication.