Poland’s economy is accelerating, driving technological transformation, but the flow of workers from abroad has been sharply restricted. On the one hand, demand for technicians and engineers has reached exceptionally high levels. On the other, the number of work permits issued has fallen by as much as 22%. Poland has effectively ceased to be the first-choice destination for temporary foreign workers. To avoid a staffing crunch, domestic companies must change their recruitment strategies and compete directly with Western European countries for highly qualified specialists.
A shortage that is holding back innovation
Poland’s labour market has been struggling with structural shortages for some time, but the nature of the problem is now changing. It is no longer only basic manual jobs that are difficult to fill. The most serious shortages are increasingly affecting technical, engineering and specialist occupations that are essential to maintaining the competitiveness of Polish industry.
According to data from the Educational Research Institute (IBE) for the first half of 2025, the number of job offers per candidate was particularly high in several specialist professions:
- Automation engineer: 7.8
- Hearing aid specialist: 3.2
- Precision mechanic: 2.8
- Telecommunications network and equipment installer: 2.7
- Flexographic printer: 2.7
- Machinery and equipment mechanic-fitter: 1.7
- Construction joinery installer: 1.5
This enormous unmet demand for narrowly specialised workers is now colliding with a sharp slowdown in the model of large-scale labour migration that Poland relied on for years.
Headline statistics conceal a tougher reality
At first glance, the overall figures suggest that the situation remains relatively stable. Statistics Poland (GUS) reported that by the end of 2025, foreign nationals accounted for 7.1% of all people working in Poland, compared with 6.8% a year earlier.
Data published by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) showed that more than 1.18 million foreign nationals were registered for social insurance during the same period, an increase of approximately 4.7% year on year. Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, 1.56 million people held valid documents allowing them to work or stay in Poland, including work permits, employer declarations and temporary residence permits.
However, this is only one side of the story. The other reveals a more concerning trend.
Experts point out that the pace at which foreign workers are entering Poland has been weakening noticeably and persistently. Revised statistics confirm that the structure of migration is changing.
At the end of April, the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, citing data from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, reported that the number of work permits granted to foreign nationals in 2025 fell by as much as 22%, to just 251,500. It was the lowest figure recorded in seven years.
According to experts, 2025 and 2026 have marked a period of significant tightening of foreign nationals’ access to the Polish labour market, universities and the visa system.
Stricter provisions of the Act on Foreigners have lengthened procedures and introduced additional reporting obligations. As a result, Poland is no longer perceived by migrants as an easy labour market to enter.
For employers, the implications are clear: recruiting new workers from abroad has become more expensive, more time-consuming and significantly more exposed to legal and administrative risk.
A changing profile: skilled workers are now in demand
Despite growing bureaucratic barriers, Poland may now be entering a new stage of labour migration.
Eurostat data provide some evidence of this shift. In 2024, Poland issued 5,900 EU Blue Cards to highly qualified workers from outside the European Union, ranking second in the EU behind Germany. Poland has therefore started to emerge as a more visible and attractive destination for international specialists.
“Polish employers are increasingly looking abroad for specialists in occupations where it has been difficult for years to find a sufficient number of candidates on the domestic market. This primarily applies to people with specific technical qualifications, including CNC operators, certified welders, electricians, automation specialists, mechatronics specialists, maintenance mechanics and production engineers. The strongest demand is coming from manufacturing, automotive, logistics, as well as sectors connected with automation and the energy transition,” says Agnieszka Kukier, recruitment expert at Smart Solutions HR.
The qualifications of foreign applicants are also changing.
Today, people applying for jobs in Poland increasingly have several years of professional experience and higher technical education. Importantly, alongside knowledge of Polish, which remains necessary when working with local teams, fluency in English is becoming increasingly common.
How can Poland compete with the West? A package matters more than salary alone
The Polish market now faces a critical question: can it persuade skilled foreign workers to stay for the long term?
For many specialists, Poland is still only a temporary stop on the way to Germany, France or the Netherlands. Polish companies face a difficult challenge because they cannot compete effectively with Western European employers on salary alone.
According to experts, the key is not to engage in a bidding war over hourly wages, but to offer employees long-term stability.
A highly qualified foreign professional is more likely to remain in Poland if offered a comprehensive employment package. This includes not only a stable employment contract but also efficient support with legalisation procedures, professional relocation assistance, including the possibility of bringing family members to Poland, access to training and a broader sense of personal and professional security.
“Procedures that worked when recruiting large groups of warehouse workers are ineffective when dealing with specialists. Skilled professionals require an individual approach. If a qualified foreign engineer takes a position in Poland that is below their level of competence and sees no clear career path, the risk that they will leave for Western Europe increases dramatically,” Kukier says.
The way companies approach international talent has become a clear dividing line in Polish business.
Large enterprises and multinational corporations increasingly treat foreign specialists as a long-term investment, providing training, professional development and opportunities for promotion.
Smaller companies, however, often continue to operate reactively, focusing primarily on filling immediate vacancies rather than investing in employees’ long-term development.
To compete successfully for talent at the European level, Polish employers will need to build their advantage around flexibility, greater employee autonomy and access to modern technologies in the workplace.
The golden age of cheap labour is coming to an end. Poland is entering a much tougher competition for skills and quality.
This article is based on data from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), Statistics Poland (GUS), the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, and the Educational Research Institute (IBE) report covering the first half of 2025.
