In 2019 Ukrainian citizens employed in Poland earned the most in the mazowieckie voivodeship and among the most popular sectors of the Polish economy the highest hourly rates were in the construction industry. This is evidenced by the results of the sociological study ‘An employee from Ukraine – Wages in Poland’ conducted by EWL S.A. and the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw.
Among Polish provinces with the most numerous representation of Ukrainian employees, the highest wages were recorded in Mazovia. Earnings of over PLN 20.05 gross per hour were declared by more than 45% of Ukrainian citizens working there, i.e. more than twice as many as in the pomorskie voivodeship (22%).
In turn, in the sectors of the Polish economy that employ Ukrainians most often the highest hourly rates were in the construction industry. Over 56% of respondents from this sector counted on earnings above PLN 20.05 gross per hour. In the sector of industrial production, which is most often chosen by Ukrainian citizens, fewer than 16% of employees from abroad received similar wages.
‘One of the most important variables affecting wages is the number of stays in Poland or their length,’
comments Andrzej Korkus, CEO of EWL S.A.
Over 61% of the respondents who worked in Poland for the first time declared earnings below PLN 17.37 gross per hour. In turn, over 47% of Ukrainians who have been employed in our country at least five times declared earnings above PLN 20.05 gross per hour.
The study also showed that the level of earnings of the respondents is also influenced by their language skills and professional experience. More than 51% of migrants who speak Polish very well or speak Polish fluently received wages of more than PLN 20.05 gross per hour. At the same time, among Ukrainian citizens declaring the lack of knowledge of our language, a little over 10% could count on similar wages.
The sociological study was conducted in April and May 2019 by EWL S.A. and Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw. 855 Ukrainian citizens working in Poland were interviewed directly.
