Poland is in the top three in Europe in terms of employment in the automotive sector, reports Personnel Service. It adds that sanctions against Russia, the growing need for independence from China and increasing production capacity in Europe may prove to be an impulse for the development of this sector in Poland.
More than 12.7 million people in the European Union are employed directly or indirectly in the automotive sector, according to Personnel Service, which cites Eurostat data cited by ACEA. Employment in the sector grew between 2015 and 2019.
The largest number of people directly employed in automotive work in Germany, with 916,000, followed by France with 232,000 jobs and Poland in third place (224,000). Rounding out the top five are the Czech Republic (181,000) and Romania (179,000). In total, these five countries employ over 1.7 million people in the industry, that’s 67 per cent of all those working directly in automotive factories.
“Of course, the turmoil of the pandemic and delays in global supply chains, and now the war on Ukrainian territory, cause temporary difficulties, but the sector is always back on its best track,” noted Krzysztof Inglot of Personnel Service.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), in 2021, car sales in the European Union reached 9.7 million units, 2.4 per cent less than a year earlier. Concerning the pre-pandemic year 2019, the total number of car registrations in the European Union in 2021 was 3.3 million units lower.
According to Inglot, the automotive sector in Poland can benefit from the relocation of production from China, Ukraine and Russia. “Sanctions on Russia, the growing need for independence from China and increasing production capacity in Europe may prove to be a boost for the sector in Poland. Especially as the production of electric cars is developing strongly at the same time. This is an opportunity for new jobs, which we will need,” he concluded.