Ukrainians in Poland are breaking employment records. More and more people do not know whether they will return to the country
At the end of September 2025, over 759,000 people worked in Poland. citizens of Ukraine. That's 7.2 percent. more than a year earlier and by 2.7 percent more than in August 2025. Data show that the presence of workers from the East is still growing. At the same time, many of them are still not sure whether they will connect their future with Poland permanently.
Data from the Central Statistical Office and the Office for Foreigners show that since 2014, the number of Ukrainians with valid residence permits in Poland has increased from 41,000. to over 1.597 million. Despite such a dynamic increase in labor migration, the sense of stability among many newcomers still remains limited. This is influenced by, among others: previous migration experiences, changing regulations or the attitude of some society towards foreigners. A study by the Progres Group shows that as many as 60 percent Ukrainians believe that the Polish labor market should be more open to foreigners, and 41 percent he doesn't know yet whether he will return to his homeland after the end of the war.
Migration still high
Statistics from the Office for Foreigners show that the largest increase in the number of residence applications occurred after the outbreak of the war in 2022. At that time, 290,584 applications for temporary residence permits were submitted, and a year later almost 296,000. In the same years, 13,496 and 13,334 Ukrainian citizens applied for permanent residence, respectively.
Although the number of applications decreased slightly afterwards, it remains significantly higher than before the pandemic. According to UDSC data as of October 1, 2025, since the beginning of the year, Ukrainians have submitted 230,060 applications for legalization of stay in Poland. The vast majority concerned temporary stay (201,640). The others included permanent residence (8,478) and long-term EU resident status (19,942).
The main reasons for coming here have remained the same for years. Most often, it is about the ability to support a family, stable employment and relatively small language and cultural barriers. In the years 2016–2025, over 2.4 million applications for work-related temporary residence were submittedin turn over 300 thousand applications concerned family reunification, and over 162 thousand – education.
More and more Ukrainians do not know whether they will stay
The Progres Group's research shows that many Ukrainians are still in a state of uncertainty about their future. 41 percent respondents cannot say today whether they will return to Ukraine after the end of the war. 37% declare a return, and 22% admits that he does not plan to leave Poland.
According to Julia Nowicka, an expert on the legalization of the employment of foreigners at the Progres Group, the high percentage of undecided people shows that refugees are still trying to find their place between their homeland and the new country.
– The decision to return requires certainty that life in Ukraine will be safe and stable – says Julia Nowicka. – This uncertainty also has a practical dimension. Many people wonder whether they will have a job, a home and access to education after the war. The hesitation does not mean a lack of ties with the country – rather, it indicates the need for specific guarantees. Additionally, the situation is not made easier by changing regulations regarding foreigners or ambiguous interpretations of regulations by some institutions, as well as ambiguous attitudes and negative opinions regarding people from Ukraine living in Poland – adds the expert.
Should the labor market be more open?
Meanwhile, the employment of Ukrainians is of great importance for the Polish economy. According to data from the Central Statistical Office, in September 2025, they constituted 67%. all working foreigners in the country. Such a large group of employees makes issues related to access to the labor market and legalization procedures more and more important for entrepreneurs.
In the study by the Progres Group 60 percent respondents believed that Poland should open the labor market more widely to foreigners. 28 percent they have no opinion on this matter, and 12 percent believes that such changes are not necessary.
According to experts, bureaucracy and lengthy administrative procedures remain one of the main problems. This applies not only to blue-collar workers, but increasingly also to highly qualified specialists. For many companies, employing foreign workers means having to go through standard, time-consuming procedures, especially if the company is not on the list of entities of significant importance to the economy and cannot use simplified paths.
An additional challenge remains the lengthy nature of proceedings in residence and employment matters. The situation may be further complicated by the resumption on March 5, 2026, of issuing residence decisions for Ukrainian citizens with certain employment conditions.
Linking a decision to a specific employer may result in an increase in the number of requests to change the decision in the event of a job change, which will additionally burden the administration.
Migration experience helps
The study also shows that Ukrainians working in Poland often have previous migration experience. As much as 85 percent respondents declare that they have previously worked abroad and evaluates these experiences positively.
According to Julia Nowicka, people who have previously traveled abroad find their way in a new environment faster – they know how to overcome language barriers, complete formalities and build professional contacts.
– These experiences give them self-confidence and courage, which means that if they do not find development opportunities in Poland, they will not be afraid to try elsewhere. This shows how important it is for the Polish labor market and integration policy to take into account their aspirations and potential. Otherwise, the existing shortage of employees may increase even further, which in practice will also be felt by customers, e.g. in the form of longer service delivery times or limited availability of employees in stores, service points or production sectors – summarizes the Group's expert.
KW
