The dramatic situation of transport companies is being saved by drivers from Ukraine. Until…

The Polish transport sector, which generates over 58% of the logistics industry’s revenue, faces a constant challenge: a shortage of drivers. The problem has been ongoing for years, with professions such as bus, truck or semi-trailer driver regularly appearing on the list of deficit professions according to the “Occupation Barometer”.

In the face of this shortage, foreign drivers have become a key solution. By the end of 2022, over 160,000 driver certificates had been issued in Poland to non-EU citizens, allowing them to work on international routes.

Ukrainians dominate in transport companies

The dominant group is Ukrainians, but the current political situation and expiring authorizations may reduce their number. What consequences will this have for Polish carriers?

There are about a million foreigners working in Poland, a significant number of whom are registered for social insurance. The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy reports that in 2023, as many as 320,000 work permits were issued to foreigners, which means that they constitute about 6% of the country’s workforce.

The largest group are Ukrainians, whose number registered with ZUS at the end of June 2024 was 771 thousand. The number of workers from other countries, such as Belarus, India, Turkey and the Philippines, is also growing.

Transport is one of the industries that benefits the most from employing foreigners, mainly due to lower language barriers in this profession. The largest group among foreign drivers are Ukrainians, who make up 80 percent of non-EU drivers working in Poland. Although the number of certificates issued to Ukrainians in 2023 decreased by 30 percent, they are still the largest group of foreign drivers, ahead of Belarusians and Moldovans.

Driver shortage problem

Despite this dominance, the number of Ukrainian drivers in Poland is decreasing, which is caused by, among other things, the war in Ukraine and the mobilization of local men. As a result, some of the drivers may be forced to return to the front, which puts Polish carriers in a difficult situation. However, many people only have a work permit for a certain period of time, and their departure to Ukraine is associated with the risk of being drafted into the army, which may further reduce the number of available drivers.

Employers in Poland, although they may fear a decrease in the number of drivers from Ukraine, should not expect dramatic changes. People who legally resided in Poland before the war will be able to apply for an extension of their work permits, and those who married Poles will be legally privileged. Additionally, the number of labor migrants from other regions of the world is growing, which may help to alleviate the problem. However, the process of recruiting workers from Asia or South America is time-consuming and requires many formalities, which may delay employment.

Internationalization in the company’s structures also requires a new approach to personnel management, taking into account cultural and ideological differences, which may pose a challenge to effective work. Nevertheless, data from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy indicate a growing number of work permits for citizens of non-European countries, such as India, Nepal or the Philippines, which gives hope for filling staff gaps in Polish transport.

Polish carriers are going bankrupt

We have recently mentioned the serious problems of Polish transport companies on our pages. They have led to the bankruptcy of 120 companies in just three months!

For some time now, Polish carriers have been announcing protests, as their situation is becoming increasingly critical. The Northern Chamber of Commerce is calling on the government to take immediate action.