Ukrainians leave Poland. They prefer to work somewhere else
Between June and May, the number of refugees from Ukraine staying in Poland decreased by 13,635 people. This is a worrying phenomenon, because our economy badly needs economic migrants.
The wave of departure of Ukrainian citizens who came to Poland after the outbreak of the war is intensifying. According to Eurostat data published in August, 4.07 million Ukrainian citizens obtained the status of temporary protection in the European Union. Most of them (1,133,420 people) reside in Germany. Poland ranks second in the ranking – it is estimated that 977,740 refugees live in Poland. Between June and May, that number decreased by 13,635.
The Polish economy needs economic migrants
The Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers warns that this is a very dangerous situation in the context of the fact that fewer and fewer people work in Poland and the disproportion between people of working age and retirees is growing.
“Poland is currently struggling with serious demographic problems. The fertility rate in our country in 2022 was only 1.26 (…) To ensure simple generational replacement, this indicator must be at least 2.1. Demographic problems cause significant difficulties on the labor market and in the social security system. Even if the trend in new births were reversed, the effects would not be visible on the market until two decades from now. Therefore, the Polish economy urgently needs migrants who want to work, study and live in our country. These criteria are met by refugees from Ukraine, who came to our country in large numbers after the aggression of the Russian Federation.
– It would be difficult to overestimate the role of immigrants and refugees from Ukraine on the Polish labor market – emphasized Szymon Witkowski, director of the Labor Forum of the Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers. – Without the work of refugees in our country, companies representing various industries could have very serious problems not only with development, but even with maintaining the current scale of operations. In the current demographic conditions, we need migrants to develop economically and fill gaps in the labor market.
Ukrainians move to Canada
What happens to refugees who leave Poland? Some returned to Ukraine, but some seek their fortune in other countries, primarily Germany or much further. A relatively popular destination for emigration is Canada, where for years there have been very large concentrations of people from Ukraine. The census conducted in 2016 shows that Canada was inhabited by over 1.36 million people declaring Ukrainian origin (with a total population of 38 million).
Canada’s popularity is reflected in the numbers. Since February 24, 2022, over 190,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Canada. An additional factor encouraging immigration is the information from the 2016 census. A significant Ukrainian minority and attractive employment conditions are increasingly an important argument for refugees who currently have no problems with obtaining a visa to Canada.
