Asia Instead of the East? The New Geography of Seasonal Workers in Polish Agriculture

Just a few years ago, Polish orcharding and food processing relied almost entirely on workers from Ukraine. For many farms and processing plants, this became a standard operating model – harvest season meant the arrival of thousands of workers from Eastern Europe who filled labour shortages in fruit picking, sorting, packaging, and food processing. Today, […]

Harvests Without Workers? Polish Agriculture Facing a Migration Crisis

Just a dozen or so years ago, seasonal harvesting work in Poland was associated mainly with local labour – rural residents, students earning extra money during the summer, or seasonal workers moving between different regions of the country. Today, however, an increasing share of Polish agriculture operates thanks to foreign labour. Without migrant workers, many […]

Chef from Asia or Local Employee? How the Hospitality Industry Is Changing Recruitment Models

Just a decade ago, most restaurant owners in Poland treated the employment of foreign workers as an emergency solution – a way to quickly fill seasonal staffing gaps or reduce turnover in basic support positions. Today, the situation looks entirely different. In many segments of the HoReCa sector (Hotels, Restaurants, Catering), foreign workers are no […]

Will Restaurants and Hotels Once Again Face Labor Shortages?

For a decade, Poland’s HoReCa sector (Hotels, Restaurants, Catering) has operated within a recurring paradox: the closer the summer season approaches, the higher the demand for hospitality services – yet at the same time, the more difficult it becomes to secure enough workers to meet that demand. Spring and summer trigger the same mechanism almost […]

When procedures lose to the economy – visas for drivers and logistics as Poland’s strategic problem

Poland’s economy is increasingly dependent on the efficiency of the TSL sector (transport, freight forwarding and logistics), warehousing, e-commerce and international supply chains. Over recent years, the country has built a position as one of Europe’s leaders in road transport, while the logistics sector has become one of the pillars of both exports and domestic […]

Warehouses, e-commerce and logistics centers – why foreign recruitment is becoming a necessity

Poland’s logistics, warehousing, e-commerce and broadly understood TSL sector (transport, freight forwarding and logistics) have been operating for several years under increasingly strong operational pressure. This is one of the most strategic segments of the modern economy – responsible not only for the physical flow of goods, but also for the efficiency of online commerce, […]

The transport industry on the brink of collapse – is migration its last chance?

Poland’s TSL sector (transport, freight forwarding and logistics) has long been one of the pillars of the national economy. Poland remains one of Europe’s leading road transport powers, with Polish carriers responsible for a significant share of international freight operations across the European Union. This industry plays a strategic role in exports, manufacturing, trade and […]

Is the EU Limiting Its Own Labor Market? Bureaucracy vs Labor Shortages

Europe is currently at one of the most complex moments in its economic and demographic history. On one hand, nearly all developed European Union economies are struggling with growing labor shortages driven by aging populations, low birth rates, wage pressure, sectoral transformation, and a shrinking supply of domestic workers. On the other hand, in recent […]

Between Brussels and Own Migration Policy – Scenarios for 2026–2036

After fifteen years of transformation from a labor market almost entirely dependent on regional migration into a country operating within the global circulation of workers, Poland is entering a new decade with a fundamental strategic dilemma. The years 2026–2036 may prove to be the period in which the country must finally answer not whether it […]

From Ukraine to Asia – How Poland’s Labor Migration Map Changed Between 2010 and 2025

Just over a decade ago, Poland was an almost monocultural migration market, heavily dependent on a single source of foreign labor. Today, it functions as a participant in the global competition for workforce, recruiting employees from Asia, Latin America, and Central Asia. This transformation, however, was not the result of a coherent long-term state strategy, […]