Ukrainians and Belarusians Among Foreigners Who Most Often Work in Poland Under umowa o dzieło

In the first half of 2026, 203,700 people in Poland were working under contracts for specific work umowa o dzieło. Such contracts typically do not require contributions to ZUS, so this period does not count towards pension benefits. Amid increased scrutiny over civil law agreements, the labor inspection is already checking employers' contracts.

This information is reported by InPoland.net.pl, citing the Social Insurance Institution of Poland.

Umowa o dzieło in Poland: Statistics for the First Half of 2026

Compared to the first half of 2025, the number of people working under such agreements increased from 201,900 to 203,700. In the six months, 519,600 RUD forms were submitted to ZUS, declaring 609,300 contracts. Almost 93% of the documents were submitted electronically.

Most agreements were short-term:

• over 61% were made for a period of up to nine days;

• 27.88% of contracts were valid for only one day.

The umowa o dzieło was most often issued in the field of information and communications - 22.7% of contracts. Another 17.7% were in professional, scientific, and technical activities, and 14.8% were in culture, entertainment, and recreation.

Since such a contract does not grant the right to pension contributions, it is important to check the terms before signing. In particular, the rules for counting seniority depend on the type of contract and payment of contributions to ZUS. How it works for another popular form of employment is explained in a material about confirming seniority under umowa zlecenie.

Foreigners in Poland: Who Often Signs umowa o dzieło

In the first half of the year, foreigners accounted for 6.68% of all performers under such agreements. About three-quarters of foreigners working on this basis were citizens of Ukraine and Belarus. Such contracts were also made with citizens of Jamaica, Botswana, and Kenya.

The most contracts were registered in the Masovian Voivodeship: over 6,100 for every 10,000 residents. This is almost nine times more than in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, where the figure was the lowest.

Before signing a contract, Ukrainians should clarify whether its terms match the actual work and what social guarantees it provides. Other common employment risks in the country are described in the material about working in Poland in 2026.