At the end of January 2026, 1,119,036 foreigners were working in Poland, an increase of 7.1% year on year, although the figure was 1.9% lower than in December 2025. Ukrainian citizens remained by far the largest group, accounting for 67.7% of all foreigners working in the country, up by 0.5 percentage points compared with a year earlier.
A significant part of foreign employment in Poland is based on flexible forms of work. As many as 425,245 foreigners, or 38.0% of the total, worked exclusively under civil-law contracts and related arrangements. Geographically, employment remains strongly concentrated in Mazowieckie Voivodeship, where 25.0% of foreigners working in Poland reside.
Employment Dynamics Among Foreigners
The number of foreigners working in Poland increased almost continuously throughout 2025, reaching its peak in December at 109.2 points compared with January 2025, where the index was set at 100. January brought a seasonal decline, driven by fewer new civil-law contract registrations after the holiday period and the rotation of contracts ending at the close of the year.
Even so, the level recorded at the beginning of 2026 remained clearly higher than a year earlier, while the employment dynamics for women and men followed an almost identical pattern.
Gender Structure and Forms of Employment
Among foreigners working in Poland, men account for 59.9% of the population and women for 40.1%. The share of men increased slightly — by 0.2 percentage points year on year and by 0.1 percentage points compared with December 2025.
On an annual basis, the number of women increased by 6.6%, while the number of men rose by 7.4%. Both groups are growing at a similar pace, although employment among men is increasing slightly faster.
In terms of employment form, 693,800 people, or 62.0%, worked in the national economy, including under employment contracts, business activity and similar arrangements. A further 425,245 people, or 38.0%, worked exclusively under civil-law contracts and related forms of employment.
This is an important indicator of labour market flexibility: almost four in ten foreigners work under civil-law arrangements rather than full employment contracts. This segment recorded growth of 6.6% year on year, but fell by 3.3% month on month, showing a stronger seasonal response than standard employment.
Where Foreign Workers in Poland Come From
Foreigners working in Poland at the end of January 2026 came from more than 150 countries, but the structure remains highly concentrated.
Ukrainian citizens accounted for 757,745 people, or 67.7% of the entire population — 8.0% more than a year earlier. The second-largest group consisted of Belarusian citizens, numbering 116,782 people, or 10.4%.
Other nationalities in the top eight — India, Georgia, Colombia, the Philippines, Moldova and Nepal — each accounted for around 1–2% of the total. However, their combined dynamics point to a gradual, although still slow, diversification of recruitment directions.
| Citizenship | Number of people | Share of total | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 757,745 | 67.7% | 47.3% |
| Belarus | 116,782 | 10.4% | 28.2% |
| India | 22,709 | 2.0% | 12.2% |
| Georgia | 22,365 | 2.0% | 19.2% |
| Colombia | 19,042 | 1.7% | 30.4% |
| Philippines | 14,908 | 1.3% | 33.9% |
| Moldova | 12,491 | 1.1% | 28.1% |
| Nepal | 12,350 | 1.1% | 16.0% |
Which Sectors Employ Foreigners
The distribution by PKD 2025 sections shows that the largest “employer” of foreigners is not industry, but the administrative and support services sector, which includes temporary employment agencies, cleaning services and security services. This section employed 218,600 people, or 19.5% of the total foreign workforce.
It was followed by manufacturing, with 206,000 people, or 18.4%, and transportation and storage, with 154,500 people, or 13.8%. The latter is a key sector for the functioning of supply chains and e-commerce logistics. Construction employed 123,200 foreigners, or 11.0%, while wholesale and retail trade accounted for 85,700 people, or 7.7%.
The share of women varies significantly between sectors. In accommodation and food services it reaches 58.2%, in trade 54.1%, and in administrative and support services 50.6%. At the opposite end of the spectrum is construction, where women account for just 6.4% of foreign workers, and transportation, where the share is 14.7%. These sectors remain heavily male-dominated.
Geography of Employment
Foreigners working in Poland, excluding 37,337 people living abroad and commuting to work, are concentrated primarily in Mazowieckie Voivodeship. The region is home to 270,000 foreign workers, or 25.0% of the national population, of whom 227,900 live in the Warsaw Metropolitan Area.
The next positions are occupied by Dolnośląskie Voivodeship, with 131,000 people, or 12.1%, and Wielkopolskie Voivodeship, with 118,900 people, or 11.0%. These are regions with a high concentration of industry and logistics centres.
In Podlaskie and Lubelskie, close to Poland’s eastern border, the share of Belarusian citizens is relatively higher than elsewhere.
For employers, the key issue is not only the increase in the number of foreigners itself, but also the structure of employment. Almost one fifth of foreign workers are employed through the administrative and support services sector, which means that temporary employment agencies are playing an increasingly important role in flexibly meeting demand for labour in industry, logistics and trade.
What This Means for Business
Poland’s labour market remains structurally dependent on foreign workers. The figure of 1.12 million people represents growth of 7.1% year on year, despite a seasonal month-on-month decline after the December peak.
The administrative and support services sector, including temporary employment agencies, is now the largest single employer of foreigners. It is an important channel of flexible employment for industrial and logistics companies.
Manufacturing, transportation and construction together account for more than 43% of foreign employment. Without this labour force, it would be difficult to speak of stable supply chains.
Recruitment diversification is progressing, but slowly. Ukraine still accounts for two thirds of the foreign workforce, although Colombia, the Philippines and India are growing as supplementary sources of workers.
Geographical concentration remains high. One in four foreigners working in Poland lives in Mazowieckie Voivodeship, a factor worth considering when planning the location of production plants and service centres outside major metropolitan areas.
Methodology
The data cover people performing work, meaning those employed in the national economy as well as people working exclusively under civil-law contracts and related arrangements, including agency contracts, service contracts and management contracts, who are subject to social or health insurance in Poland’s Social Insurance Institution, ZUS.
The population does not include specific-task contracts, harvest assistance contracts, secondary school pupils or students under the age of 26.
Data by PKD 2025 sections are presented for the first time during the transitional period related to reclassification from PKD 2007, which lasts until 31 December 2026.
Regional data exclude 37,337 people residing abroad.
Source: CEO.com.pl
