Specialists wanted
When it comes to immigrants, Americans are mostly English teachers, French work in trade and finance, Russians and other post-Soviet Union nationals are employed as blue collar workers or teach Polish kids foreign languages in public schools. Meanwhile, Asians specialize in buying low, selling high and, of course, gastronomy.
According to the new report from the Institute of Public Affairs and Polish Chamber of Commerce, Poland is experiencing a shift from being strictly a country of emigration. More and more foreigners are immigrating to Poland from some 100 countries, up to 70,000 of those being typical expatriates who come to work in branches of their companies on temporary contracts. The largest group is seasonal workers, willing to take illegal, demanding physical jobs in construction and farming for little more than a dollar per hour-pay a Pole would never accept. Others make permanent residence as housekeepers, although no more legally, and hop out to their country of origin only to prolong their tourist visas.
Even though more foreigners immigrate than Poles emigrate (140,000 last year), the former constitute just less than 1% of all employed and, according to the report, are not a threat to Poles, one in five of whom is out of work. Well-educated specialists from Western countries fill in the posts of engineers, IT technicians or even haute cuisine cooks, for which no one can be found from the local market. Cheap labor from the east and specialists from the west are actually contributing a lot to economic growth.
Despite the growing immigration trend, everyone acknowledges Poland is not country where one can get rich just babysitting or teaching.
According to the new report from the Institute of Public Affairs and Polish Chamber of Commerce, Poland is experiencing a shift from being strictly a country of emigration. More and more foreigners are immigrating to Poland from some 100 countries, up to 70,000 of those being typical expatriates who come to work in branches of their companies on temporary contracts. The largest group is seasonal workers, willing to take illegal, demanding physical jobs in construction and farming for little more than a dollar per hour-pay a Pole would never accept. Others make permanent residence as housekeepers, although no more legally, and hop out to their country of origin only to prolong their tourist visas.
Even though more foreigners immigrate than Poles emigrate (140,000 last year), the former constitute just less than 1% of all employed and, according to the report, are not a threat to Poles, one in five of whom is out of work. Well-educated specialists from Western countries fill in the posts of engineers, IT technicians or even haute cuisine cooks, for which no one can be found from the local market. Cheap labor from the east and specialists from the west are actually contributing a lot to economic growth.
Despite the growing immigration trend, everyone acknowledges Poland is not country where one can get rich just babysitting or teaching.
