At the end of January 2026, 1,119.0 thousand foreigners were working in Poland — 7.1% more than a year earlier, although 1.9% fewer than in December 2025. Ukrainian citizens remain by far the largest group, but almost one in five foreigners now works in the administrative and support services sector, which includes, among others, temporary employment agencies.
Dynamics of foreign employment
The number of foreigners working in Poland grew almost continuously throughout 2025, reaching a peak in December at 109.2 points compared with January 2025 = 100. January brought a seasonal decline — fewer new registrations of contracts after the holiday period and rotation of contracts ending at year-end. Even so, the level recorded at the beginning of 2026 remained clearly higher than a year earlier, while the dynamics for women and men were almost identical.
Gender structure and forms of employment
Among foreigners working in Poland, men account for 59.9% of the population and women for 40.1%. The share of men is rising slightly: by 0.2 percentage points year on year and by 0.1 percentage points compared with December 2025. In annual terms, the number of women increased by 6.6%, while the number of men rose by 7.4% — both groups are growing at a similar pace, although male employment is increasing slightly faster.
In terms of employment form, 693.8 thousand people, or 62.0%, worked in the national economy, including employment contracts, business activity and other forms, while 425.2 thousand people, or 38.0%, performed work exclusively under civil-law contracts and related arrangements. This is an important indicator of flexibility: almost four in ten foreigners work under civil-law arrangements, without full-time employment. This segment recorded growth of 6.6% y/y, but declined by 3.3% m/m, reacting more strongly to seasonality than standard employment.
Where foreigners working in Poland come from
Foreigners working in Poland at the end of January 2026 came from more than 150 countries, but the structure remains highly concentrated. Ukrainian citizens accounted for 757.7 thousand people, or 67.7% of the entire population — 8.0% more than a year earlier. The second-largest group, citizens of Belarus, numbered 116.8 thousand people, or 10.4%. The remaining nationalities in the top eight — India, Georgia, Colombia, the Philippines, Moldova and Nepal — each account for around 1–2%, but their combined dynamics point to gradual, although still slow, diversification of recruitment directions.
| Citizenship | Number of people | % of total | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraine | 757,745 | 67.7% | 47.3% |
| Belarus | 116,782 | 10.4% | 28.2% |
| India | 22,709 | 2.0% | 12.2% |
| Georgia | 22,365 | 2.0% | 19.2% |
| Colombia | 19,042 | 1.7% | 30.4% |
| Philippines | 14,908 | 1.3% | 33.9% |
| Moldova | 12,491 | 1.1% | 28.1% |
| Nepal | 12,350 | 1.1% | 16.0% |
In which sectors do foreigners work?
The breakdown by PKD 2025 sections shows that the largest “employer” of foreigners is not industry, but the administrative and support services section, which includes, among others, temporary employment agencies, cleaning services and security — 218.6 thousand people, or 19.5% of the entire population. It is followed closely by manufacturing, with 206.0 thousand people, or 18.4%, and transportation and storage, with 154.5 thousand people, or 13.8% — a sector that is crucial for the functioning of supply chains and e-commerce logistics. Construction employs 123.2 thousand people, or 11.0%, while wholesale and retail trade employs 85.7 thousand people, or 7.7%.
The share of women differs significantly between sectors: in accommodation and food service activities it reaches 58.2%, in trade 54.1%, and in administrative services 50.6%. At the opposite end of the scale is construction, where women account for only 6.4% of employed foreigners, and transportation, where the figure is 14.7% — these sectors remain male-dominated.
Geography of employment
Foreigners working in Poland, excluding 37.3 thousand people living abroad and commuting to work, are concentrated primarily in Mazowieckie — 270.0 thousand people, or 25.0% of the domestic population, of which 227.9 thousand are in the Warsaw Metropolitan Area alone. The next places are occupied by Dolnośląskie, with 131.0 thousand people, or 12.1%, and Wielkopolskie, with 118.9 thousand people, or 11.0% — regions with a high concentration of industry and logistics centres. In Podlaskie and Lubelskie, close to the eastern border, the share of Belarusian citizens is relatively higher than elsewhere.
For employers, the key issue is not only the growth in the number of foreigners itself, but the structure of employment: almost one fifth of them work through the administrative and support services sector, which means the growing role of temporary employment agencies in flexibly meeting demand for workers in industry, logistics and trade.
- The Polish labour market remains structurally dependent on foreigners — 1.12 million people represent growth of 7.1% y/y, despite a seasonal m/m decline after the December peak.
- The administrative and support services sector, including temporary employment agencies, is now the largest single employer of foreigners — an important channel of flexible employment for industrial and logistics companies.
- Manufacturing, transportation and construction together account for more than 43% of foreign employment — without this workforce, it is difficult to talk about supply chain stability.
- Diversification of recruitment directions is progressing, but slowly: Ukraine still accounts for two-thirds of the population, although Colombia, the Philippines and India are growing as supplementary sources of workers.
- Geographical concentration is high — one in four foreigners working in Poland lives in Mazowieckie, which should be taken into account when planning the location of plants and service centres outside large urban areas.
Source: Statistics Poland data. Own analysis based on Statistics Poland data.
