The number of Polish emigrants has doubled in recent years. The number of emigrants is now greatest during the rule of the PiS (Law and Justice) party. There is little unemployment in Poland, and yet emigration from Poland is very high.

18% of Poles are considering emigration. The main destination is Germany, followed by the Netherlands and Great Britain. The research was carried out by the Work Service employment agency.

Unemployment in Poland is one of the lowest in the European Union, and it is not difficult to find a job – according to Eurostat data. Thus, the intention to emigrate is probably determined by other considerations. 25–36-year-olds are most often interested in emigration.

Such a large increase in the number of Poles interested in emigration is puzzling. The uncertainty of the future, the limitations resulting from the pandemic, as well as the atmosphere in the country under the current rule, discourage young people from planning their life in the country on the Vistula River. Young people are looking not only for sources of income abroad, where the demand for employees of selected specializations is high and the wages are higher. More and more often you hear about the desire to stabilize your life and the future in a country that is stable and offers a certain social base. Other arguments are the desire to obtain a second citizenship, the desire to become independent and cut off from Poland, individual freedom, following rules of law, equal rights for women, tolerance for minorities.

The cornerstone of the decision to permanently stay in Germany, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom for hundreds of thousands of Poles was the decision by the PiS government in 2020 to double tax the income of Poles working abroad. This law came into force on January 1, 2021. Poles simply did not come for Christmas 2020 anymore. They stayed abroad. According to this new tax law, Poles pay their income tax and social security in Germany and at the same time are forced, as residents of Poland, to pay very high-income tax and very high social security contributions in Poland, with low and at the same time unfavourable tax thresholds. Undecided ones, right now in the spring, are cleaning up their affairs in Poland and planning matters related to employment and living abroad.

In the past, the average willingness to emigrate from Poland was expressed by 10% of respondents, most often even less. In September 2019, this percentage was 8.6% and in July 2020 – 9.9%. So, the current 18% represents a huge leap in interest in emigration.

Most jobs are in Germany and the Netherlands. People aged 25-44 with secondary and vocational education are most often interested in the move. Before the pandemic, married couples were interested, now it is more about singles. Young people aged 25-36, i.e. the Y generation, have a command of foreign languages ​​to a degree that allows them to find their place in the labour market abroad.

The destinations of emigration for Poles at the beginning of 2021 are Germany (40%), the Netherlands (28%), Great Britain (16%), followed by Norway, France, Sweden and the United States.

Employers most often offer jobs in the production, logistics, and warehouse industry that operate despite the pandemic. The medical sector is in high demand all the time. It is estimated that 17,000 nurses and 3,500 thousand doctors are missing on the German job market. Every year, German agriculture needs 300,000 seasonal workers. In the fall, vineyards need a lot of workforces too. Wages in Germany and in Western Europe for unskilled workers and without a practical profession have stabilized at the level of min. EUR10 (CAD $ 15) per hour. People with the necessary professions and specialists who are constantly in demand can count on higher wages.

Canada as the destination of potential emigration is considered marginal by Poles in Poland. Due to the lack of information, as well as formal limitations, Poles from Poland do not hear about their options of emigration to Canada. The situation is different among the Polish diaspora, and especially among the children of the Polish diaspora in Ireland and Great Britain. Young people aged 20+, with dual citizenship, fluent English and wide access to information about the possibilities and formalities about the directions and conditions of emigration – express their interest in choosing Canada.