Access to the labor market in Poland: what may soon change for Ukrainians.

New rules for migrants seeking work will appear in Poland. A point system and a list of shortage professions will be introduced, which will limit the industries in which foreigners can work. This was reported by biznes.interia.pl.

The Prime Minister of Poland announced the adoption of a migration strategy by the Council of Ministers for the period from 2025 to 2030. This document regulates not only the issues of the right to asylum and access to the territory but also the access of migrants, including Ukrainians, to the Polish labor market.

The government also proposes to introduce a list of shortage professions, a point system, and verification of staffing agencies. These changes relate not only to foreign workers but also to Polish entrepreneurs and industrial organizations.

According to the authors of the document, "too liberal migration policy cannot block the process of modernization and automation of the Polish economy".

"Poland will allow foreigners into the labor market to fill the shortage in shortage professions, as well as create special rules aimed at overcoming the shortage in some professions," the document states.

Special criteria for foreign workers

Criteria for the acceptance of foreign workers include receiving a salary at the level of Polish workers. A migrant must also have unique skills or be employed if it is impossible to find a Polish worker with the same unique competencies. Employment also requires being a citizen of OECD countries or countries with which Poland or the European Union has a readmission agreement (return of its citizens).

Ukrainians, Moldovans, Georgians, and Armenians will remain under the former employment rules, but the list of countries affected by the new policy may change by the end of next year.

A special point system will be introduced, in which points will be awarded for the immigrant's individual competencies. Entry into the country will be possible only after obtaining the necessary minimum number of points. A similar system is already in place in Canada and the United Kingdom. A list of shortage professions will also be compiled.

The government also plans to check the labor market for staffing agencies for compliance with workers' rights and the legal framework. The document also deals with issues of entrepreneurial activity of foreigners.

The President of the BCC Employers' Association, Łukasz Bernatowicz, notes that "entrepreneurs lack, for example, builders, forwarders, carriers, and the medical service needs nurses." He also emphasizes that after the end of the war in Ukraine, many Ukrainians working in Poland will return home, which will lead to a shortage of workers.

The same opinion was expressed by the chief analyst of the Gremi Personal recruitment agency, Yuriy Grygorenko. According to him, this year there is a shortage of workers from Asia in the agriculture and hotel-restaurant industry of Poland. "Tightening migration policy will lead to even greater labor shortages in these sectors," the analyst believes.

Let us recall that Ukrainians constitute the majority in the Polish labor market. However, their place is increasingly taken by workers from other countries. The greatest increase in employment in recent years has occurred among Colombians, Nepalese, and Argentinians. Professionals from Asia and South America work in industry, agriculture, and construction, which were previously traditionally occupied by Ukrainians.