Resources for employers in Poland
Resources for employers in Poland
We use “refugees” as a term encompassing forcibly displaced people with different legal statuses, such as refugees, subsidiary protection holders, temporary protection holders, asylum seekers and other persons in need of international protection.
In cases where differentiating information relating to each status is essential (i.e. regarding the right to work), this is clearly indicated.
Why hire refugees in Poland?
Poland is host to one of the largest communities of refugees from Ukraine in Europe and is an example of successful job market integration of newcomers. Employers looking to hire refugees in Poland are fully facilitated by the favorable legal and policy framework. As a result, the employment rate among working age refugees was 65% as of March 2024, among the highest in OECD.
The positive impact of refugees on the economy has been strengthened by their quick labour market inclusion. Despite the psychological impact of war on the refugees as well as the caretaking responsibilities of many, in a matter of months, many had found employment or set up businesses in Poland, additionally supporting public coffers with their taxes and social security contributions, rather than relying on humanitarian aid or their savings. Between 225,000 and 350,000 refugees from Ukraine are working in Poland as of March 2024 and have contributed between 0.7 and 1.1 per cent to Poland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023.
Accenture Poland has been one of the leading businesses in the efforts to support Ukrainian refugees. The company gave $5 million to relief efforts through non-profit organizations like the Red Cross to Polish Humanitarian Action. Accenture’s entire Poland team took part in hosting the 350 Ukrainian members of the team and their families who fled the country after the outbreak of the war. The team adapted its Skills to Succeed Academy to provide basic employment and digital skills to refugees and transformed the Carrots Academy for Women into an upskilling program to provide cybersecurity training to Ukrainian women refugees. On completion, participants were eligible to receive job offers from Accenture or another employer in Poland. Accenture also partnered with jobs platform provider the Adecco Group to support Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new career and adapted its standard recruiting process with a special high touch to recruit Ukrainians.
How many refugees and stateless people are there in Poland?
As of September 2024 , there were 976,000 refugees and nearly 9,300 asylum-seekers in Poland (data from June 2024), coming primarily from Ukraine (956,000) with smaller groups from Belarus, Russia, Somalia, Afganistan, Ethipia, Tajikistan, Iraq and Eritrea. A demographic specificity of the Ukrainian refugee population is that it consists primarily of working age women (41%) and children (40%). According to UNHCR’s Global Trends Data, there were 1,487 stateless people and people of undetermined nationality in Poland as of mid-2024.
Visit the Refugee Data Finder to learn more
How many of them are working?
Overall, the employment situation of Ukrainians in Poland is very positive. Currently between 225,000 and 350,000 refugees from Ukraine are estimated to be working in Poland. In August 2023, Ukrainian refugee households reported that 80% of their incomes are coming from work. In addition, a survey by EWL and Warsaw University found that 27% of the respondents who work in Poland found a job in the first three months upon arrival. Most refugees are employed in manufacturing (15%), accommodation and food service (13%), and transportation and storage (6%), according to the SEIS Poland 2024 survey.
Read the Poland Multi-Sector Needs Assessment for 2023 here.
What are the main challenges?
Despite the relatively high employment rate of refugees in Poland, many of them are not yet utilising their full potential in the Polish labour market. Nearly 40% of Refugees from Ukraine insured at ZUS on 30th June 2023 in Poland were employed in elementary occupations, while for all employed persons in Q2 2023 this percentage was only 5%. The Deloitte Ukraine Refugee Pulse report indicates that 50% of respondents point to language barriers as an obstacle to accessing services to meet basic needs.
In the absence of a dedicated statelessness determination procedure, stateless people in Poland may face challenges to regularize their stay in the country and access employment. Stateless people in Poland may obtain a residence permit for tolerated stay or on humanitarian grounds, which would allow them to work without needing to obtain an additional work permit.
To learn more, visit the Deloitte “Ukraine Refugee Pulse” report
A recent study by UNHCR and Deloitte estimated that refugees from Ukraine contributed 0.7-1.1% to the GDP of Poland in 2023, and this effect would grow to 0.9-1.35% in the long-term. The same study affirmed that the additional government tax revenues generated by refugees more than offset the costs of refugee-connected public expenditure. Hiring refugees also has a positive impact of the employer’s brand among Polish consumers. A study commissioned by TENT found out that Polish consumers expect brands to act responsibly and are broadly supportive of companies stepping up for refugees, with 53% reporting they are more likely to purchase from a brand which hires refugees.
| Status | Who it applies to | Right to work? | Process |
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Asylum-seekers |
Those who have arrived in Poland and have applied for asylum but whose application is still in progress. | Asylum-seekers who have applied for international protection in Poland and are still waiting for a decision on their application are allowed to work after 6 months have passed from their application date. | Employers can employ asylum-seekers 6 months after their application date without any additional arrangements. |
| Special temporary protection status | Individuals fleeing the war in Ukraine who are Ukrainian nationals and their families are covered by the so-called “Special Act”. | Since February 2022, all of those who have special temporary protection and are residing legally in Poland are entitled to work without the obligation to obtain a work permit. Having a PESEL number is not required to work in Poland for Ukrainians. | To employ a Ukrainian national, employers need to inform the local poviat labor office within 7 days from the start of the job. This notice must be submitted online on the portal praca.gov.pl. The notice must detail the remuneration and work hours, requiring that the remuneration is no less than Polish minimum wage. Any change in the conditions of employment must be notified too. |
| General temporary protection status | Individuals fleeing the war in Ukraine who are not Ukrainian nationals but were residing in Ukraine (e.g. stateless persons, refugees, third country nationals). | Third-country nationals enjoying general temporary protection can also work in Poland without any work permit and do not have the notification obligation. Having a PESEL number is not required to work in Poland for Ukrainians. | No requirement for notification of the employment. |
Bear in mind:
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One challenge that employers need to bear in mind is that the procedure for recognizing diplomas and other qualifications of Ukrainian workers has been reported to be very lengthy and costly.
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Another challenge is that the temporary protection regime for Ukrainians is provided for a period of up to 18 months, which means that employers would not be able to sign contracts longer than this.
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Until the end of 2023, 358,000 Ukrainian nationals worked in Poland on the basis of the notification to the labor offices.
UNHCR has advocated for refugee inclusion through participating in more than 20 job fairs throughout 2023, offering concrete support to refugees such as CV development, promotional materials, outreach programs for refugees, and interpretation services. Job fairs have been held in cities like Krakow, Wroclaw, Lublin, Rzeszow, Gdynia and others. Job fairs are a valuable platform for job seekers, including refugees, and employers to connect, exchange information, and identify suitable candidates.
How do I connect with refugee and stateless talent?
The go-to resource for employers is usually the Labor Office. In addition, many local NGOs can assist you in getting in touch with refugees looking for employment. Among them are for example the Ukrainian House Foundation, which offers career consultations for refugees, the Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives which has a Career Information Point, and the Ocalenie Foundation which operates a Foreigners Assistance Center. You can also refer to the Polish offices of international organizations like IOM.
What can I do to support refugee and stateless employees?
Given the most common challenges that refugees and stateless people face in Poland, employers can play an active part in ensuring that refugees and stateless people secure suitable jobs where they can thrive and realize their full potential. Focus on the individual’s transferable skills and attitude to work and give them opportunities to grow professionally within your company even if they start from a lower position. In addition, it’s a best practice to provide or subsidize Polish classes to help refugee and stateless employees deal with the language barrier.
Labor offices benefits
In Poland employers can receive benefits for hiring any person who is registered as unemployed at the Labor offices, including refugees. These benefits include a reimbursement of the costs of remuneration, a refund of social security premiums, aid for employing people under 30 or over 50, and others.
Job boards
The government runs the Central Database of Job Offers, where both locals and newcomers can search for a job, with a special section with job vacancies in Ukrainian. The government has also set up a platform called Praca w Polsce with vacancies advertised specifically for Ukrainian refugees, as well as internships and apprenticeships.
Access to information
The Labor offices maintain an Employment Services Information and Consultation Center and so-called ”Green line” for consultations on labor issues and information about training programs and apprenticeships. The National Labor Inspectorate provides free legal advice on the regulations governing the legality of employment and employees' rights.
The website of the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Policy contains a lot of useful information for employers looking to hire vulnerable people and refugees in particular.
The blog Pracadlaukrainy.pl features many posts on work market integration for Ukrainians in Poland.
This report by TENT Poland explains how hiring refugees helps brands.