“Consequences for every fifth company”. Analysis

Foreigners play an important role on the Polish labor market, which is confirmed by both statistical data and the opinions of entrepreneurs. The hypothetical disappearance of foreigners from the labor market would be associated for many companies with serious consequences – from difficulties in the implementation of orders, through a decrease in the quality of services, to the need to limit operations. Only a small part of enterprises would be able to easily replace them with Polish employees – Pie pointed out.

According to GUS datain the years 2022-2024 the number of foreigners performing work in Poland increased by 33 percent. At the end of March 2025, the number of insured in ZUSwho, in the application for retirement and disability insurance, gave citizenship other than Polish was 1,210,027 people – wrote in “Tygodnik Gospodarczy Pie”.

The vast majority – 94 percent They are foreigners performing work on an employment contract, a mandate contract or an agency contract, and the remaining 6 percent. they are people who lead non -agricultural economic activity. Among all natural persons insured in ZUS, at the end of 2024, foreigners constituted 7.3 percent.

The Pie survey from May 2025 shows that about 1/3 of 500 surveyed companies employs foreigners. They are mainly large enterprises – 50 percent and medium – 47 percent In small entities, this percentage is 35 percent, and in microfirms 22 percent. Most often, foreigners employ companies from the TSL industry – 46 percent, industrial 40 percent. and construction – 36 percent In trade and services, this percentage is 23 percent.

“We asked entrepreneurs in a study of a hypothetical situation, consisting in the disappearance of foreigners from the Polish labor market. The situation of the disappearance of foreigners from the labor market does not apply to them, “Pie pointed out.

The lack of foreigners would be associated with an extension of working time for other employees – the third company pointed out that it would have felt the lack of employees from abroad. 32 percent enterprises from this group expressed fear that they could not process orders, and 30 percent. It provides for the need to limit the scale of activity or resignation from some services, especially in the construction and TSL industry.

The decrease in the quality of services or delay of supply takes into account 24 percent. companies, mainly commercial and from the TSL industry. For 18 percent enterprises, especially production and TSL, the lack of foreigners would threaten to lose their continuity. 15 percent of companies, mainly production, would consider replacing their work with automation.

Pie reminded that macroeconomic data show that in 2021-2023 thanks to the work of immigrants annual Polish GDP He was 0.5 points percent higher, which translates into approx. 18 percent all height.

“According to OECD analysis, foreigners play a key role in filling staff gaps in deficit competitions, especially in countries with growing employment needs, e.g. in Poland.