Temporary labor segment turnover grew by 4% in the second quarter of 2026
Ukrainian citizens increasingly choose short-term employment in Poland for several months to earn money and get through the winter. In the second quarter of 2026, the temporary labor market turnover increased to 1.159 billion zlotys, and over 911,000 Ukrainians were insured with ZUS by the end of August. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Василина Копитко) citing Gremi Personal, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Shifting requests from Ukrainian workers are taking place against the background of broader trends in the neighboring country’s labor market. Polish employers increasingly rely on flexible employment, avoiding the expansion of permanent staff and attracting additional workers during peak periods. Throughout 2025, specialized agencies directed 697,301 people to work, over half of whom were foreigners.
Foreign labor volume and statistics
The total number of temporary employment contracts increased from 1.31 million in 2024 to 1.38 million in 2025. In the second quarter of 2026, turnover in this segment grew by 4% year-on-year. By the end of August 2026, more than 911,000 Ukrainian citizens were insured in the ZUS system, which is 6.4% higher than at the beginning of the year.
Conditions and organization of short trips
To organize such trips, specialized companies offer vacancies at warehouses and production facilities with earnings ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 dollars. The organizational package includes bus travel from Ukraine, housing, and local coordinator support. Gremi Personal CEO in Poland Tomasz Bogdewicz noted that the company has recreated the format used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Legal grounds and official data
For short-term employment, Ukrainians do not necessarily need to apply for temporary protection, as they can enter under the visa-free regime. As of June 30, 2026, about 1.56 million Ukrainians stayed in Poland, of whom nearly 959,000 held temporary protection. Meanwhile, the Polish agency GUS recorded 98,700 job vacancies at the end of the second quarter of 2026.
Photo: RBC-Ukraine
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