Almost half of temporary workers in Poland are economic immigrants

- "Most of the positions in which temporary workers are employed are simple production jobs, warehouse workers or machine operators. The demand for employees with this profile remains high, and there are fewer and fewer people willing to work on the domestic market, says Wojciech Ratajczyk, president of the Trenkwalder employment agency and vice-president of the Polish HR Forum (PFHR). This is his comment on the results of the PFHR report on the HR services market announced on Tuesday. The main segment of this market is temporary work, which was one of the few that ended 2023 with a significant share of as much as 15%. increase in turnover. They reached PLN 6.9 billion, of which almost PLN 4.4 billion went to the largest employment agencies associated with PFHR.

The outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine confirmed the flexibility of the Polish labor market and domestic employers who coped with the sudden change in the structure of foreign workers.

Global import of workers from Ukraine

 

However, this dynamic increase in turnover from temporary work was mainly the result of an increase in wages, including almost 20% increase in the minimum wage last year, because the number of temporary workers increased by only 1%. In many industries (including food production), there is not only a lack of native job candidates, but also difficulties in recruiting new employees from Ukraine. They are increasingly replaced by Belarusians and economic immigrants from other regions of the world.

 

- Searching for new directions in acquiring candidates is a trend that will intensify in the coming years - predicts Wojciech Ratajczyk.

 

He is not the only one who is counting on a revival of demand in the labor market in 2024, especially the temporary one. 

 

- During every business cycle, temporary work is a form of employment that employers are eager to use at the time of economic recovery - reminds Anna Wicha, president of the Polish HR Forum and global director of outsourcing at Adecco Group. 

 

She points out that Poland can boast the most optimistic GDP growth forecasts in Europe for this year. Additionally, there will be funds from the KPO, which should stimulate domestic business, which increases the chances of a significant increase in demand for labor in many industries.

 

The sudden suspension of the Poland.Business Harbor program, which enabled the rapid recruitment of IT specialists from abroad, hit software companies. They are preparing an appeal to Donald Tusk's government to restore the facilities.

Headhunters are waiting for a rebound in the labor market

 

Headhunters should also benefit from the increase in demand for work, as last year - when many companies postponed decisions about creating new jobs - they recorded a decline in revenues. PHFR member companies ended 2023 with 12%  decline in turnover from recruitment services for Polish employers (PLN 295 million).

 

Smaller, 2% decline in revenues also occurred in outsourcing and contracting services (mainly IT contracting), which last year brought over PLN 1.6 billion to PFHR members. This year is expected to bring significant improvement. - We know that over 20 percent funds from the KPO will be allocated to digital transformation, which will certainly have a positive impact on the demand for IT services in Poland - predicts Michał Młynarczyk, member of the management board of PFHR and president of Devire.

 

Artur Skiba, president of Antal, predicts a dynamic development of IT contracting in Poland this year. He points out that this is an optimal service that allows companies to achieve their goals quickly, at reasonable costs and with relatively high security.

 

It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract job candidates from outside the five countries that have visa facilitations. Therefore, there is a need for a well-thought-out, long-term migration policy that will support employers.

Foreigners to Poland, and Poles to saxons

 

While employment agencies operating on the Polish market take into account the increased difficulties in recruiting candidates for work (both temporary and permanent), companies posting workers to other European countries do not complain about this lack. This segment was the only one, apart from temporary work, that ended last year with an increase in turnover (by 19%, to PLN 373 million).

 

- Working abroad is still popular among Poles who declare their readiness to leave, and Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are still the favorite earning destinations of our compatriots - comments Magdalena Winiarska from the Interkadra management board. - We currently have twice as many applications for vacant positions than in the same period last year - she emphasizes.

 

Slightly over 1.5 million Poles stayed temporarily abroad last year - according to the latest data from the Central Statistical Office, which this time does not include shorter trips lasting several months.

 

Paulina Piskor, president of Contrain, also notices an increase in the inflow of candidates interested in working abroad. She emphasizes, however, that demand from employers is questionable, as economic forecasts indicate moderate growth in Europe."