Labour market
More Than 1.13 Million Foreigners Now Work in Poland
At the end of February 2026, 1,132,419 foreign nationals were working in Poland, 7.1% more than a year earlier. Foreign workers are no longer a marginal addition to the Polish labour market. In logistics, manufacturing, construction and business support services, they have become an increasingly important part of the workforce.
Foreign employment continues to grow
The number of foreigners working in Poland has been increasing almost continuously since the beginning of 2025. Compared with February 2025, the total rose by around 75,000 people. It was also 1.2% higher than one month earlier.
Statistics Poland’s index, with January 2025 set at 100, increased by 8.4 points over the following 13 months. Temporary periods of slower growth were visible in spring and around the turn of the year, which may partly reflect the seasonal nature of short-term contracts.
Where foreign workers are employed
Business support and administrative services employ the largest number of foreign nationals, accounting for 19.2% of the total. Manufacturing follows closely with 18.5%. Transport and warehousing account for another 14%, while construction represents 11.1%.
Together, these four areas absorb well over half of all foreign workers in Poland. They are also among the sectors most exposed to labour shortages and demographic pressure.
Largest sectors by number of foreign workers
Women as a share of foreign workers
| Sector | Foreign workers | Share of total | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative and support service activities | 217,342 | 19.2% | 50.8% |
| Manufacturing | 209,389 | 18.5% | 41.2% |
| Transport and warehousing | 158,293 | 14.0% | 14.8% |
| Construction | 125,679 | 11.1% | 6.4% |
| Wholesale and retail trade | 87,121 | 7.7% | 54.2% |
| Accommodation and food service activities | 74,992 | 6.6% | 58.4% |
| IT, telecommunications and consulting | 50,984 | 4.5% | 30.7% |
| Professional and scientific activities | 48,824 | 4.3% | 48.1% |
| Other sectors | 159,795 | 14.1% | – |
Ukraine still dominates, but the workforce is diversifying
Ukrainian nationals remain by far the largest group of foreign workers in Poland. At the end of February 2026, their number reached 769,300, equivalent to 67.9% of all foreigners working in the country. Their number was 8.5% higher than a year earlier.
Belarus remains the second most important country of origin, with almost 119,000 workers. At the same time, Poland’s foreign workforce is becoming increasingly geographically diverse. Significant groups now also come from India, Georgia, Colombia, the Philippines, Moldova and Nepal.
| Citizenship | Number of workers | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 769,300 | 47.2% |
| Belarus | 118,903 | 27.9% |
| India | 22,711 | 12.3% |
| Georgia | 21,417 | 19.3% |
| Colombia | 19,368 | 30.8% |
| Philippines | 14,921 | 34.1% |
| Moldova | 12,636 | 27.8% |
| Nepal | 12,293 | 16.0% |
Mazowieckie is Poland’s largest regional labour market for foreigners
Foreign employment is strongly concentrated geographically. The Mazowieckie region alone is home to 274,138 foreign workers. Of this total, approximately 231,400 live in the Warsaw capital subregion, accounting for around 84% of the regional figure.
Outside Mazowieckie, the largest concentrations are found in Dolnośląskie, Wielkopolskie, Śląskie and Małopolskie. Each of these regions has more than 85,000 foreign workers.
Top regions
Regional concentration
The distribution of foreign workers broadly follows Poland’s main centres of economic activity: Warsaw and its surrounding region, Lower Silesia, Greater Poland, Silesia and Małopolska.
These regions combine large metropolitan labour markets with strong manufacturing, logistics, construction, business services and hospitality sectors.
A structural part of Poland’s labour supply
The February figures reinforce a trend that has been visible for several years: foreign labour is becoming deeply embedded in the Polish economy. The process is particularly important for sectors where employers face persistent recruitment difficulties and where demographic changes are reducing the domestic supply of workers.
Ukraine remains the dominant source of foreign labour, but the growing presence of workers from Asia, Latin America and other parts of Europe suggests that employers are gradually widening their recruitment markets. For companies, this means that workforce planning increasingly also involves immigration procedures, onboarding, language support and the management of more internationally diverse teams.
About the data
The figures come from Statistics Poland’s publication “Foreigners performing work in Poland in February 2026”, released on 11 August 2026 by the Statistical Office in Bydgoszcz. The statistics cover people working in the national economy as well as those performing work under mandate contracts and related agreements who are covered by social or health insurance at Poland’s Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). They exclude, among others, people working under contracts for specific work, farmers’ helpers and certain students and pupils under the age of 26.
