The Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg, said that foreigners working in our country contribute to the development of the Polish economy and partially supplement staff shortages in many industries.

“The important role of foreigners on the labour market is also emphasized by the fact that employers more and more often conclude long-term contracts with them”, emphasized Marlena Maląg.

Almost a million foreigners working in Poland have been registered for retirement and disability insurance. At the end of May, 991,000 employees from abroad were insured; it is about 194 thousand more than a year ago.

The head of the ministry added that in the group of employed foreigners the majority of employees were from the East. At the end of last month, almost 715 thousand employees from Ukraine were reported to insurance which is 128 thousand more than a year ago.

In the opinion of the Minister of Family and Social Policy, the situation in the coming months largely depends on the intensity of hostilities and how Russia’s aggression in Ukraine will end.

“One should take into account both the mass departures of Ukrainian citizens from Poland in order to rebuild their country, and the intensified search for employment by Ukrainians staying in Poland, who were hoping for a quick end to the conflict and have not taken up employment so far. That is why we are constantly observing the situation in the labour market and analyzing data indicating possible trends in the future”, reported Marlena Maląg.

According to the ministry’s estimates, the registered unemployment rate at the end of May was 5.1%, 0.1% less than in April. The number of vacancies and job activation reported is also growing; at the end of May, employment offices offered almost 87,000 such proposals.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński