How do workers from Ukraine assess work and life in Poland in 2023, and what are their plans for the coming months? We present the results of the latest report from the international employment agency OTTO Work Force.

Ukrainian Citizens Settling in Poland

When asked about their plans for the coming months, Ukrainian citizens most often replied that they want to wait in Poland and see how the situation in Ukraine develops – 54% of respondents. This is an 11 percentage point increase compared to 2022, when 43% of respondents gave such an answer. Meanwhile, 30% of respondents plan to start learning Polish, and in this case, we see an 8 percentage point decrease in popularity of this response compared to last year. Finding independent housing is planned by 29% of respondents, marking an 8 percentage point increase. The number of responses regarding bringing family from Ukraine to Poland has decreased by 10%.

Ukrainians No Longer Eager to Travel West

Among the surveyed Ukrainian citizens, as many as 59% responded that they do not plan to leave Poland for any country other than Ukraine, which represents a 15 percentage point increase compared to last year. However, only 16% said they plan to leave Poland for a country other than Ukraine, marking a 6 percentage point decrease from 2022. Those surveyed who are planning to leave for another country most frequently indicated Germany (18% of respondents) and Canada/USA (15% of respondents). Every second respondent declaring departure has family or friends in the country they have chosen.

Almost Half of Ukrainian Citizens Speak Polish

According to the OTTO Work Force report, nearly half of the temporary workers from Ukraine declare that they know Polish to a communicative extent. Meanwhile, one in four respondents declares knowledge of English. At the same time, as many as 30% of those surveyed indicated that they do not know any foreign language.