In the first half of 2011 the highest rate of interest in the history of Polish companies with foreign employees has been achieved. Furthermore, the employment of foreigners in Poland by the end of 2011 may increase by another 50 percent. - according to a new report by EastWestLink.
EWL analysts characterized the employment of foreigners. More and more Polish employers declare willingness to accept people from other countries. In the first half of 2011 there was registered over 163 thousand applications for the intention to employ foreigners, which compared to the same period of last year is nearly a 40 percent increase in the demand for labor.
According to a study by EWL, most popular is the agricultural sector, where the demand for seasonal workers increased. The positive trend continued in the scale of employment in the construction industry - in the first and second quarter of this year, the amount of 28 787 applications was recorded. At the peak of the business cycle of road construction, mainly thanks to the numerous infrastructure investments before Euro 2012.
Immigration trends have been caused by the good economic situation of Poland, growing prosperity in labor-intensive industries and changes in legislation related to the employment of foreigners. With the simplifications introduced, which have become a key tool for policy towards foreigners, it is possible to speed up the work. The need to obtain a work permit is no longer compulsory for the citizens of 5 countries in Eastern Europe - Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and Russia. The largest part of the labor supply was submitted by citizens of Ukraine - they are now more than 90 percent of all legally employed foreigners. Entry into force of more liberal employment policy guidelines has resulted in demand for foreign workers in the first quarter of 2011. In addition, it was strengthened by the preparation of farms and construction companies to the next season. EWL found that the upward trend compared to previous years in the second half of the year will continue. The number of registered applications for the intention to employ a foreigner without a work permit can, in this year, reach a level of 270 thousand.
High market demand for workers from the east is also represented by the number of full work permits, registered in the Regional Offices in the first half of the year, allowing foreigners to work for a period of from one up to 3 years. More than 19 thousand permits were given to the end of June, which is 20 percent more than in 2010 Work permits play a different role than the work declaration, they are directed more to high-class specialists and managers - commented Andrzej Korkus, president of EastWestLink employment agencies. Such interest in the work of foreigners is also influenced by market conditions. The sentiment among employers is now more optimistic, which, with relatively low increase of labor supply and insufficient activity of Poles in the market, contribute to a large gap between supply and demand. Many businesses still fear the emigration of its staff to the west. Their concerns arose in particular in the context of this year's opening of the German labor market - he added.
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