Positive Attitudes Toward Ukrainian and Belarusian Workers Are Growing in Poland

Early morning at Warsaw’s Dworzec Zachodni, the coach from Minsk pulls in almost full. Passengers step down with small suitcases and packed luggage after the Orthodox Easter holidays. Families wait near the barriers, while others head quickly toward taxis, trams, and onward rail connections.

Many of those arriving are Belarusian professionals returning to work in Warsaw and across Poland. Conversations in Russian and Polish drift across the platform - a familiar sound on the Warsaw-Minsk route. The buses are often full at this time of year, particularly following major holidays.

With direct flights between Belarus and Poland suspended following EU airspace restrictions, buses have become one of the main ways to travel. This steady movement of professionals highlights a quiet but growing recruitment trend: Belarusian talent is becoming an increasingly important part of Poland’s labour market.

Poland’s labour market continues to evolve but labour shortages persist across key sectors, foreign workers are increasingly viewed not as competition, but as an essential part of Poland’s economic growth.

According to the latest Polish Labour Market Barometer from Personnel Service, attitudes toward foreign workers are becoming more favourable. Today, 36% of Poles report a positive attitude toward foreign workers, while 43% remain neutral. Only 14% express negative views, indicating a generally high level of acceptance.

Foreign Workers Filling Labour Gaps

The data also shows that 69% of Poles are not concerned about losing their jobs to foreign workers, suggesting that most people see international employees as complementing rather than replacing the local workforce. Only 21% of respondents reported concerns about job competition.

This reflects what many employers already experience — foreign workers are helping fill labour shortages, particularly in industries where Polish candidates are harder to find. These sectors include:

• Manufacturing

• Logistics

• Production

• Services

• Construction

• Agriculture

Ukrainian Workers Remain the Largest Group

Ukrainian workers continue to represent the largest group of foreign employees in Poland, accounting for nearly 80% of all foreign workers. Many have already built long-term careers in Poland and developed strong ties to the local labour market.

Research also shows that 73% of Ukrainian workers positively assess their professional situation in Poland, highlighting overall satisfaction with employment opportunities and working conditions.

Belarusian Workers: A Quiet but Growing Contribution

While Ukrainian workers remain the largest group of foreign employees in Poland, Belarusian professionals represent a quiet but growing presence in the workforce. In recent years, Belarusian talent has increasingly contributed to Poland’s labour market, particularly in sectors facing persistent skill shortages.

Belarusians are now considered the second-largest group of foreign workers in Poland, with over 120,000 employed and growing numbers choosing Poland for long-term career opportunities. The increase has been gradual but consistent, making Belarusian workers a silent yet important contributor to Poland’s economic growth.

Employers often highlight several advantages of Belarusian candidates:

• Strong technical and engineering skills

• High adaptability and work ethic

• Language and cultural similarities

• Interest in long-term employment rather than short-term roles

Belarus also has a strong technical education tradition, particularly in engineering and IT. As a result, many Belarusian professionals bring solid academic foundations and practical technical experience, with a growing number working as developers, engineers, and IT specialists in Poland.

Belarusian professionals are increasingly present across IT, engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and business services, helping companies address labour shortages and maintain growth.

Language and Integration Advantage

One of the key reasons Ukrainian and Belarusian professionals integrate quickly into Poland’s workforce is language similarity. Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian all belong to the Slavic language family, sharing vocabulary, grammar structures, and pronunciation patterns. This significantly shortens the time needed to adapt to Polish workplaces.

With regular exposure and basic study, many Ukrainian and Belarusian professionals can communicate effectively in Polish within 3–6 months. With more concerted study, reaching B1 working proficiency often takes approximately 3–6 months for Ukrainian and Belarusian speakers, compared with around 9–18 months for English‑speaking professionals.

This faster language acquisition supports smoother onboarding, quicker team integration, and faster productivity — a key advantage for employers facing ongoing recruitment challenges in Poland.

The growing acceptance of Ukrainian and Belarusian workers is a positive development for employers facing ongoing recruitment challenges. For recruitment agencies and hiring teams, this expanding talent pool provides greater flexibility and access to skilled professionals across multiple sectors. As labour shortages persist, access to international talent becomes increasingly important.

For companies, this trend means:

• Easier integration of international employees

• Stronger workforce stability

• Greater flexibility in hiring

• Continued business growth despite labour shortages

Looking Ahead

As Poland’s labour market continues to develop, Ukrainian and Belarusian workers are playing an increasingly important role in supporting economic growth. Rising acceptance and long-term workforce integration suggest that international hiring will remain a key part of recruitment strategies in 2026 and beyond.