How can the situation in Ukraine affect the labor market?
Has the situation in Ukraine affected the Polish labour market? At the moment, it is difficult to give a clear answer to this question. The humanitarian crisis makes more and more people ask themselves how many refugees the labour market is able to accept. There is no doubt that there is a shortage of workforce in the Polish economy, but will it be able to cope with such a large scale of migration?
Additional employees in Poland and Europe
The number of people of working age in Poland is decreasing, so there is a need for foreign workers to fill vacancies. The situation of staff shortages may affect various countries of the European Union. The solution to this problem may be the posting of workers, which allows companies to employ foreigners from other Member States. Posting of workers is a frequently used solution that allows for smooth work, especially during peak seasons.
Changes not only in the Polish economy
Although, according to experts’ forecasts, the European financial market is not threatened, the situation in Ukraine may have a significant impact on lower economic growth and even downtime in factories. Although refugees most often come to Polish, not all of them stay there, some go to look for work in other European Union countries. Some employers also decide to delegate employees to work, for example, in Germany. Regardless of individual cases, it is worth bearing in mind the problems in the economy throughout Europe. Europe’s dependence on Russian gas is extremely important. The escalation of the conflict with Russia and the imposition of further sanctions on it may mean interruptions in gas supplies, and consequently lead, for example, to downtime in factories. If the situation starts to get out of control, Europe could face problems related to power outages across the continent. From both the global and European perspectives, the conflict situation is dynamic and difficult to predict. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor all activities carried out in order to be able to respond appropriately to them.
Availability of job offers on the Polish market
In the near future, not only the Polish labor market should adapt to the influx of women from Ukraine. What should companies do? Start making changes to your actions to increase the percentage of women while maintaining your current employment levels. Although the labour market for refugees is opening up across Europe, a significant part of them will remain in Poland. This is primarily due to the immediate vicinity of Ukraine, as well as cultural similarities. Many Ukrainian citizens know Polish, and those who do not know it will learn it easily due to its similarity to their mother tongue. This has its positive aspects, because there is also a shortage of employees in specialized positions in Poland. In practice, this means jobs, for example, in the medical industry, where nurses, doctors or midwives are needed, for example. The situation is similar in education – teachers, guardians and kindergarten teachers are in demand. The textile industry, on the other hand, is struggling with staff shortages in the position of seamstresses. Each of these positions can be occupied by women, who constitute the largest group among refugees. The IT industry is also looking for employees. Therefore, there are many opportunities for development and employment on the Polish labor market. However, the loss of employees can be painful for male positions that require physical fitness, for example in the construction industry. However, it is difficult to predict what part of the refugees will stay in Poland and how many people will go to look for work in other European Union countries.
Opening the labour market to foreigners
Each case is different, but it should not be forgotten that on the one hand, there are more and more refugees,
On the other hand, many men of military age are leaving their current jobs. This can cause problems with finding specialists, for example, in the construction, logistics or industrial sectors. So far, this is where Ukrainian citizens have been employed. Due to the ongoing conflict, many men of military age have returned to their country, thus freeing up jobs. What does this mean in practice? Both employers and employment agencies will expand the area of searching for employees. The situation in Ukraine will therefore affect not only Europe, but also the whole world. The Polish labour market may open up to workers from Asia, Africa or South America. Importantly, bringing employees from further areas requires planning. One of the solutions used may be the transgenic posting of workers, which is enabled, for example, by the Wrocław Employment Agency. In this specific situation, employment agencies are able to secure the interests of both employers and employees. However, in order to act efficiently and quickly, employers should start reporting their demand for employees to agencies, among others. Thanks to this, they will not be exposed to staff shortages
and downtime.
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