Estimated reading time: 1 minute
The influx of refugees from Ukraine has resulted in more and more women in Poland obtaining jobs that involve manual labour, according to an employment agency.
Gremi Personal has found that the war in Ukraine, as well as the ensuing influx of refugees – mainly women and children – has drastically altered the composition of the Ukrainian workforce when compared to prior to the conflict.
In 2022, nearly 64 per cent of Ukrainians working in Poland were women, which compares to just 45 per cent in 2021.
Women constitute 51 per cent of all 5,000 people employed by Gremi Personal as qualified and unqualified manual labourers.
Vitalia Korshun, the director for international cooperation at Gremi Personal, stated that the labour market’s structure has recently transformed, resulting in more female workers being employed in industries traditionally seen as male-oriented and requiring physical strength.
Korshun noted that due to the war in Ukraine, there was a shortage of manual labourers, resulting in companies being less reluctant to hire women.
Korshun mentioned the meat industry to illustrate her point, noting that 70% of its workforce is female. She praised the job that women refugees have done in this field, citing their focus, tidiness, and commitment to hygiene.
In the warehousing industry, which “is associated with physical strength”, 55 percent of the workers are already female, she said.