Poland Simplifies Hiring for Foreign Workers
Poland has taken steps to streamline the employment of foreign nationals by publishing a new list of high-demand professions and proposing legislation to accelerate work authorization. The measures, developed by the Polish Ministry of Labor, are designed to simplify the hiring and legalization process for citizens of other countries. The regulation, published on January 30, 2026, took effect 14 days after its publication. This move is part of a broader European trend to address labor shortages through immigration policy.
Data from the first half of 2025 highlights the scale of the issue: while 33,000 unemployed individuals were registered in these shortage occupations, there were 29,000 job vacancies. During that same period, over 100,000 documents legalizing the work of foreigners were issued. Polish employers typically take between 50 and 80 days to review candidate applications, a process that can sometimes extend to 100 days.
Poland's List of High-Demand Professions
The list of occupations facing shortages in Poland includes:
- Engineers (process, construction, mechanical, electrical)
- Doctors without a specialization or in the process of obtaining one
- Medical specialists with higher qualifications
- Nurses and midwives
- Foreign language teachers
- Application programmers
- Database developers and administrators
- Power equipment operators
- Teaching assistants
- Roofers
- Plumbers
- Pipefitters
- Bus and tram drivers
These measures aim to improve the labor market situation and meet the Polish economy's need for skilled workers.
The relaxation of employment rules for foreigners represents a significant step for Poland as it contends with a growing demand for skilled labor. Given the high number of vacancies that cannot be filled by local specialists, the new policies may help Polish companies find needed workers more quickly, which would positively impact the country's economic development. This could also stimulate interest among foreign nationals in seeking employment in Poland, an important factor in the context of global competition for talent.