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According to the National Labor Inspection (PIP), in 2023, almost 4,8 Ukrainians worked illegally in Poland. The largest number of such cases were found in the construction industry, the EWL Migration Platform reports.
In 2023, inspectors carried out 9,1 checks on the legality of employment of foreigners. They also conducted 39,4 checks of the legality of work orders. Most of them concerned citizens of Ukraine - 29,6. During inspections, 4747 citizens of Ukraine were found to be working illegally last year (in 2022, it was 3948 citizens of Ukraine).
Every fourth illegally employed Ukrainian worked in construction. Also, many citizens of Ukraine worked illegally in the field of administrative services, through temporary employment agencies, in industrial processing, and in the field of accommodation and catering.
During inspections, the following violations were most often found: lack of the necessary employment permit, performance of work in a different position or under conditions different from those specified in the work permit, failure to conclude mandatory labor or civil law contracts.
The inspectorate also reported that in 2023, they received 2 thousand complaints from Ukrainian citizens. This is almost twice as much as in 6. Most often, they related to non-payment of wages or non-payment of the minimum hourly rate under civil law contracts. Citizens of Ukraine also reported the absence of the necessary employment contract.
Experts of the EWL Migration Platform report that access to the labor market in Poland is now simplified for Ukrainians. It is sufficient to issue temporary protection status and necessarily conclude an employment contract before starting work with a verified employer.
"Instead, people often agree to work without an employment contract due to the desire to earn more. This is one of the most common schemes of illegal employment. As a result, an unscrupulous employer may withhold wages, pay less or not at all. And you do not have official grounds to demand your earned money from him, and for you such work will have legal consequences - fines, problems in obtaining a temporary residence permit, close control over your stay or deportation in the future," says the Director of International Recruitment of the Migration Platform EWL Marcin Kolodziejchyk.
