Poles want to work in Germany, the Netherlands - report

Poles are most willing to work in the euro zone countries, such as Germany (31.4 percent) and the Netherlands (15 percent), according to a recent report by HR consultancy Work Service. Moreover, if Poland were to adopt the euro it would be an incentive to travel abroad for work for over 1/3 of employees. A year since the Brexit procedure has been launched, the emigration plans of Poles have changed significantly. Back in March 2017, 19 percent of people planning to emigrate wanted to go to the UK, which was the highest result. One year later, that figure dropped to 5.7 percent. “The British direction clearly loses popularity and has achieved the lowest result in our research since 2014. Only a year ago, the great uncertainty connected with Brexit meant that our compatriots wanted to use, as it seemed at the time, the last chance to emigrate to the UK. Such a signal may be a harbinger of big problems for some of the sectors, including construction, industry, and agriculture,” said Work Service President Maciej Witucki. Nowadays, Germany is the most popular work destination for Poles. This results from geographical proximity and a very good situation on the labor market at our western neighbors. Eurostat data shows that unemployment in this country reaches only 3.4 percent, and, as recently reported by the German Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as many as 1.6 million jobs are vacant. In addition, the minimum wage in Germany is €8.84, which is almost 3 times higher than in Poland. “On one hand, it is clear that our western neighbors are today perceived as a large and absorptive labor market with hundreds of thousands of job offers. On the other, seasonal jobs in the Netherlands have tempted Polish employees for years and are mainly chosen before the holiday season,” Witucki added. The latest report also shows that 36 percent of Poles would use the country’s adoption of the euro as a reason to leave for work, while 22 percent are of the opposite opinion. As many as 42 percent of the respondents don’t know how Poland’s accession to the euro zone will impact their plans regarding emigration.