For years, workers from Ukraine have been a pillar of the Polish labor market, and for many companies employing foreign nationals they constitute the foundation of operational stability. The conclusions of the report “Foreigners in the Polish Labor Market 2025. How Business Assesses Cooperation with Foreign Workers”, prepared by the employment agency Smart Solutions HR, show that such a strong concentration on a single recruitment source may become a strategic trap and a source of serious business risk, particularly in light of the proposed legislative changes. In response to the growing challenges, diversification is becoming essential — opening up to workers from other parts of the world and changing the way foreign employees are managed.
The Polish labor market is entering a phase of structural tension that can no longer be explained solely by temporary staff shortages. According to forecasts by Statistics Poland (GUS), by 2030 the number of people of working age will decrease by approximately 1.5 million. This gap is being filled by foreign workers, predominantly citizens of Ukraine.
The dominance of one nationality was for many years a natural response to the needs of the economy — geographical proximity, fast adaptation, and often knowledge of the language supported companies’ operational efficiency. At the same time, however, Ukraine’s migration potential is gradually shrinking, and the geopolitical situation makes this resource increasingly unpredictable.
– Today, as many as 73.9% of foreign nationals working in Poland are Ukrainians. Dependence on a single nationality exposes the Polish labor market to strategic risks. Any disruption in the availability of candidates from Ukraine will immediately affect the operational stability of companies – says Natalia Myskova, Managing Director of Smart Solutions HR. – Global competition for workers is becoming increasingly intense. Diversification of recruitment sources is emerging as the solution, no longer an option but a prerequisite for the resilience of the employment system.
Legalization barriers
Expanding employment strategies to include new recruitment directions becomes particularly important in the context of the proposed legislative changes concerning Ukrainians, presented in the government draft act on the expiration of certain solutions resulting from the so-called “Ukrainian special act.” Initially, the draft assumed limiting the possibility of quick employment of Ukrainian citizens exclusively to individuals covered by temporary protection, as well as another extension of the suspension of administrative deadlines until March 2027. However, the latest arrangements of January 20, 2026, provide for maintaining the validity of existing notifications of work assignment and introducing a three-year transitional period during which the simplified procedure may also be applied to Ukrainian citizens legally residing in Poland, not only those covered by temporary protection.
– From the employers’ perspective, these solutions stabilize current employment, but they do not eliminate risk, especially in the long term. In a few years, the transitional period will end and challenges in the availability of candidates from Ukraine may re-emerge. Moreover, another extension of the suspension of administrative deadlines is still envisaged, which perpetuates legal uncertainty, prolongs legalization processes, and hampers long-term workforce planning, relocations, or employee promotions. In this context, continuing to base strategies on the assumption of “easy” access to Ukrainian workers is becoming increasingly risky – emphasizes Natalia Myskova.
New recruitment directions – not a choice, but a necessity
Companies are increasingly recognizing the consequences of relying on a single nationality group. Although pragmatism still dominates recruitment processes — speed in filling vacancies and minimizing downtime remain key — employers are more and more often turning to candidates from other countries.
– This shift is not driven by fashion or inspiration from global trends, but by the real exhaustion of the previously dominant source of labor. For many industries, diversification of nationalities is becoming a strategic necessity. The data presented in the study clearly show that despite growing diversification of recruitment directions, Ukrainian citizens still remain the dominant nationality. At the same time, clear signs of change are visible — companies are increasingly reaching for candidates from other parts of the world. Workers from Latin America (17%), the Philippines and India (11% each), and Nepal (8%) are becoming more strongly represented – points out Natalia Myskova.
Importantly, the study reveals clear differences between nationality groups. More than half of employers (53.5%) assess the loyalty of foreign workers as neutral; however, employees from Asia and Latin America are perceived as more stable and less inclined to change jobs frequently than Ukrainians. This factor — not only availability — is increasingly influencing companies’ decisions to turn toward markets such as India, the Philippines, Nepal, or Colombia.
A shift in strategy
Today, immigrants form the backbone of sectors such as industry, construction, logistics, and services, without which the economy could not function at its current pace. Their presence in Polish companies is no longer merely about “filling staffing gaps” — employing foreign nationals has become a test of organizational maturity. Data from the Smart Solutions HR report show that the issue of excessive concentration in employment concerns not only nationality structure, but also the way foreign workers are managed within organizations.
As many as 65% of companies employ foreign workers mainly or exclusively in manual positions. At the same time, only 9% of organizations utilize the potential of foreign nationals in office or specialist roles, which limits true diversification of team competencies.
– As national diversity increases, the importance of intercultural competencies, integration, and building teams across language and cultural boundaries grows. Migration today is not only about economics — it is also about a culture of cooperation that the Polish labor market is still learning. To fully leverage the potential of foreign workers, it is worth considering a change in strategy and mindset — moving away from treating foreigners as a “substitute” for Polish employees and instead appreciating their competencies, both soft and specialist. Such a strategy will certainly bring many benefits — not only to individual companies, but to the entire Polish economy – concludes Grażyna Pogan, Business Development Manager at Smart Solutions HR.
We encourage you to ознакомиться yourself with the full report titled “Foreigners in the Polish Labor Market 2025. How Business Assesses Cooperation with Foreign Workers from Abroad”. The material can be downloaded via the following link: https://www.smartsolutions-hr.pl/e-book/
