“Currently, in Poland we have 1.2 million foreigners paying social insurance contributions to ZUS,” said the President of the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), Zbigniew Derdziuk, in response to a question from the Polish Press Agency (PAP). He added that last year, foreigners paid a total of PLN 18.5 billion into the Polish pension system in the form of contributions.
Ukrainians in the Lead
According to the ZUS President, two-thirds of the foreigners paying social insurance contributions are Ukrainian citizens. Many insured individuals also come from Belarus, Georgia, India, and Colombia. Those paying contributions include representatives from almost every country in the world.
Zbigniew Derdziuk emphasized that foreigners are not in Poland to save the pension system, but rather because the country needs a workforce.
What About Raising the Retirement Age?
The ZUS President was asked about the possibility of raising the retirement age, which currently stands at 60 for women and 65 for men. He noted that there are no political plans at the moment to change this. “Of course, every citizen can decide for themselves when they want to retire, and they may also choose to exercise this right and continue working,” he stressed.
“We currently have 850,000 people who are both receiving a pension and still working. Additionally, we estimate there are about 150,000 people who have already qualified for a pension but have not yet taken it and continue to work. Their benefit will, of course, be higher,” Derdziuk said.
The President added that extending one’s professional activity by one year increases the pension amount by approximately 8–12%.
The head of ZUS also reported that the current difference between the average pension for women and the average pension for men is PLN 1,500.