Architects of a Shared Future
How Can Science and Business Heal the Polish-Ukrainian Migration Corridor?
Modern business does not operate in isolation from social processes. Companies that want to make a real impact on their environment and build a position as responsible leaders cannot limit themselves to merely responding to current market needs. Their role also involves actively co-creating solutions to civilizational challenges that will shape the future of both the economy and society. One of the most important of these challenges today is migration — a phenomenon that, more than ever before, requires close cooperation between science and business.
On April 16, our representative took part in the international discussion session “Ukrainian migration to Poland: Governance in practice – opportunities, challenges, and fair policy solutions,” organized by the Ukrainian Catholic University and Kozminski University as part of the Link4Skills project (Horizon Europe). The meeting became an important space for discussing the future of the Polish-Ukrainian labor market.
Few people work in line with their qualifications
One of the key conclusions from the “Migration Skill Corridor Brief: Ukraine – Poland” (2026) report presented during the session is that a high employment rate does not always mean successful integration. Although around 78% of Ukrainian citizens in Poland are employed, only a small proportion work in jobs that match their education and professional experience.
This shows that the current integration model, based on rapid entry into any kind of job, has its limitations. For workers, this often means stalled professional development, while for business it means untapped potential among highly qualified specialists.
A new migration structure
Today’s migration corridor looks different from what it was before 2022. A large share of those arriving in Poland are now women, often combining paid work with childcare responsibilities. This changes the needs of the labor market and requires a new approach from employers and institutions alike.
Language barriers, difficulties in having qualifications recognized, and limited access to childcare mean that many highly qualified people end up in jobs below their skill level. This is not only a social challenge, but also an organizational and economic one.
Benefits and imbalance
Migration from Ukraine brings real economic benefits to Poland. At the same time, Ukraine bears the cost of losing human capital, which will have implications for its future reconstruction. That is why the conversation is increasingly shifting away from the simple model of “departure or return” toward the need to build skills circulation.
The point is to ensure that skills acquired and developed in Poland can also contribute to Ukraine’s future development. Only such an approach offers a chance for a more balanced and fair model of cooperation between the two countries.
Why business should be part of this conversation
For our company, participation in this debate was a natural element of a responsible approach to the labor market. We believe that cooperation with universities and research institutions makes it possible to better understand people’s real needs and to design more effective workforce solutions.
It is precisely the combination of data, analysis, and business practice that makes it possible to build strategies based on facts rather than intuition alone. This helps address the barriers faced by migrant workers more effectively and create a working environment that is more stable, inclusive, and supportive of development.
Integration and the future
What is particularly important today is an approach that does not force migrants to choose between integration in Poland and returning to Ukraine. What is far more needed is a model in which professional development, acquired experience, and skills can be valuable on both sides of the border.
This means the need for better matching of jobs to qualifications, simpler processes for recognizing competencies, and support for mobility that does not sever ties with the country of origin. This is the direction in which fair migration governance should move.
Shared responsibility
Today’s discussion on migration should not be limited to the question of how quickly labor shortages can be filled. Much more important is how to build a system that is economically effective, but at the same time socially fair and sustainable in the long term.
That is why partnerships between science and business are so important. They can become the foundation of a more conscious and responsible approach to the labor market in both Poland and Ukraine.
We would like to thank the organizers from Kozminski University and the Ukrainian Catholic University for creating space for this important conversation.
About the Link4Skills project
Link4Skills (Horizon Europe) is an international research project devoted to the challenges related to skills shortages and the exchange of human capital.
