Although people still earn more in the West, the rapid increase in wages in Poland – especially the minimum wage – has reduced the financial gap dramatically.
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Today, economic emigration is the domain mainly of high-class professionals. Currently, the real profit is usually twice the amount of domestic earnings, which, given the higher costs of living abroad, becomes unattractive for many people.
Professionals are still in demand
Although the time of “unqualified millionaires” from Saxony has passed, the market is still very generous to specialists. Data from employment agencies and offers on portals such as OLX Praca show a clear polarization of rates:
- unskilled workers – 10-14 thousand PLN/month
- professionals (welder, electrician, plumber) – 20-25 thousand PLN/month
As Maciej Kopaczyński, president of the Association of Employment Agencies, emphasizes, this is exactly what it is experts with a specific profession in their hands experience the greatest financial benefits from emigration.
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Poles don't want to leave anymore
Decreasing differences in wages directly translate into social sentiment. According to the “Polish Labor Market Barometer”, there has been a significant decline in interest in emigration. IN 2022 21 percent respondents were considering leaving, and in 2026 only now 10 percent declares a desire to emigrate for work.
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Krzysztof Inglot from Personnel Service notes that working in the country simply becomes a more comfortable alternative.
