The number of foreign workers in Poland has seen a significant rise over the past year, according to economists from the Polish Economic Institute (PIE). In April 2024, foreigners made up 4.2% of all employees in the country, marking a 5.8% year-on-year increase to 630,900 workers. The most foreign workers were employed in manufacturing, accounting for 20% of all foreign employees.
Despite an overall 0.4% decrease in national employment, which stood at 15.09 million people by the end of April, the growing number of foreign workers helped mitigate a larger decline. A year earlier, foreigners made up only 3.9% of the workforce.
Most foreign workers (84%) are employed in five key sectors, including manufacturing and transportation. While many perform lower-skilled jobs, a growing number, particularly in IT, are employed in positions requiring higher qualifications, such as computer analysts and programmers. In April 2024, the number of foreign IT workers reached 51,600, an 11% increase from the previous year.
The rise in foreign employment highlights the importance of migrant workers in sustaining key sectors of the Polish economy, with the highest growth observed in industries such as IT, manufacturing, hospitality, and retail.