The Polish economy is increasingly relying on the labor of foreign workers. According to a new report, migrants living and working in the country account for about 10.7% of Poland's GDP — over 400 billion zlotys annually
The authors of the study, prepared by the Instytut Spraw Publicznych in collaboration with Deloitte and Ipsos, point out that without foreign labor, the Polish labor market would face a serious shortage of workers. In essence, migrants are not only filling vacancies but also compensating for the demographic decline — the aging population and the decrease in the number of working-age residents.
Szacuje się, że obecnie w Polsce mieszka około 2–2,5 miliona cudzoziemców, a ich rola w gospodarce znacznie wzrosła w ostatnich latach. Dane z ZUS pokazują, że pięć lat temu cudzoziemcy stanowili 5,6% wszystkich ubezpieczonych pracowników, a teraz ich udział wzrósł do prawie 8%.
Jednocześnie ich wkład w system ubezpieczeń społecznych również rośnie: udział pracowników zagranicznych w składkach emerytalnych i ubezpieczeniowych osiągnął 6,3%.
Ukrainians still hold a special place. Approximately 857,000 citizens of Ukraine are registered in the ZUS system, making them the largest group of foreign workers in the country
In total, about 1.3 million foreigners are officially insured in Poland today. Of these, more than 730,000 work under employment contracts (umowa o pracę), around 470,000 under civil law contracts (umowa zlecenie). Additionally, over 90,000 run their own businesses.
Experts emphasize that the influence of migrants has long gone beyond just being cheap labor. They are no longer just employees but active participants in the economy — they rent housing, make purchases, pay taxes, and start businesses, directly impacting domestic demand
Notably, public sentiment is also significant. According to Ipsos, more than half of Poles believe that migrants help the economy and fill the labor shortage, and 73% of respondents support the idea that Poland should remain open to foreigners who work and live in the country legally
