Ukrainians remained the largest group, at 857,000, followed by Belarusians at 138,700. But some of the fastest growth came from outside Europe, including Colombia, India, the Philippines, Nepal and Vietnam, business news portal Bankier.pl reported.
The outlet cited experts as saying that the shift reflects labor shortages and demographic pressures in Poland, as well as changing expectations among workers and employers.
"Today, 4 in 10 Ukrainians say they want to stay in Poland permanently", Elena Markuv, recruitment manager at Randstad's Cross Border Staffing unit, told Bankier.pl. "Instead of 'just any job,' they are looking for stability, secure contracts and real paths for advancement".
She said Poland was increasingly becoming a new home for Ukrainian workers, forcing employers to compete not only on pay but on job quality.
Żaneta Spadło, a career expert at InterviewMe, said workers from Belarus, Georgia, India, Colombia and the Philippines were also playing an important role.
"This is the result not only of problems finding well-paid work in those countries, but also of the demographic crisis and staff shortages in Poland", she said, adding that companies were increasingly looking for workers with language skills and global experience rather than simply cheaper labor.
Krzysztof Inglot, a labor market expert at Personnel Service, said non-European migration routes were now growing the fastest.
"The number of Nepalis rose by more than 30% last year. This points to a diversification of migration sources", he said.
He added that while operational jobs still dominated, demand was rising for specialists ranging from truck drivers and CNC operators to nurses and programmers. Workers were also placing more value on stability, development, integration and family relocation, he said.
Bankier.pl also cited a report by Smart Solutions HR, which said that workers from South America were becoming increasingly important, alongside those from the Philippines, India and Nepal. Mateusz Zubik, a project manager at the firm, said more candidates from Asia and South America now viewed Poland as a long-term destination.
"This translates into greater employment stability and predictability from employers' perspective", he said, adding that workers from those regions often showed high loyalty and lower turnover.
Experts said, however, that growing openness to foreign workers was colliding with higher costs and bureaucratic barriers.
Markuv said the cost of filing a declaration of employment rose to PLN 400 (EUR 94) from PLN 100 (EUR 24) in December, hitting businesses and especially Belarusian workers. She added that long waits for permits were a major weakness, warning that delays and rising costs could push more people into the gray economy.
Inglot said a June 2025 reform digitized procedures, abolished the labor market test and clarified employer obligations, making legal hiring easier while also tightening compliance requirements and penalties for illegal employment.
Spadło said several trends were now clear: less dependence on one source country, rising demand for skilled workers, longer stays by migrants and greater focus on formal compliance.
"Employers must think more strategically about hiring foreigners", she told Bankier.pl, adding that, given Poland's demographic crisis, foreign employment was no longer temporary but had become a permanent feature of the economy.
(jh)
Source: Bankier.pl