Pick up any British newspaper these days and you’ll find a story about the effect Polish emigration is having on British life. In a sample of recent articles in the United Kingdom, The Guardian examines what it calls the “biggest wave of emigration into Britain for three centuries”, The Sunday Mirror describes the “heartache” of a Polish town now bereft of its youth, and The Independent rejoices in the rise of the Polish delicatessen, with its “reassuringly homely” pickles, sausages and cream cheeses.

 

Since Poland joined the European Union in May 2004, some 300,000 Poles have registered to live and work in Britain, one of the three countries, along with Ireland and Sweden, to operate an open door policy. Unofficially, however, an estimated one million Poles have moved to the UK, some 90% of whom are under 35.

 

To illustrate the discrepancy between registered and non-registered workers, a tabloid newspaper recently advertised for a plumber in west London’s Hammersmith, home to Britain’s largest Polish community. Officially there are only 95 registered Polish plumbers throughout the country, but the paper got that many responses in just one day.

 

So why is this extraordinary migration taking place, and what effect is it having on the economy at home?

 

With a population of nearly 40 million people, Poland has the highest rate of unemployment in the EU. However, the 15.7% recorded for July 2006 was in fact a five-year low, down from a peak of 20.7% in February 2003.

Poland’s No. 1 export

 

“Most of the people who are leaving are young, active and mobile,” says Bozena Bobrowicz, Joint Managing Director of Synovate Poland. “Nobody knows exactly how many have left Poland for a better life. According to some sources, this figure ranges from 1.5 to 2 million people.”

 

In general, Polish migrants fall into two categories: students moving for a few months in the summer to earn some cash and improve their language skills, and professionals looking for permanent work who hope to return to Poland once they’ve saved up enough to buy a house or start their own business.

 

“Some people invest money they earned abroad in real estate,” Bobrowicz continues. “People are either building new houses, or restoring old ones. Property in Poland is still seen as a good investment. Houses and flats are either bought for renting out, with the owners planning to return in a few years, or for their family left behind in Poland. But houses are also being built from scratch with the assumption that once the building is finished, the migrant owners will be ready to come back. In the rural northeast or south regions and in cities like Rzeszow or Lomza, you can find many houses or settlements built from money earned abroad.”

 

Figures from the statistics office for the second quarter of this year show a strong rise in fixed investments. In a country where the average national wage is just £5,226 per year, remittance is clearly playing a significant part. Last year Poles working overseas sent home 22 billion zloty – almost £4 billion – which economists say accounted for 1.5% of Poland’s economic growth last year, currently running at 5.5%. Since the so-called “brain drain”, wages have also gone up by some 8%.

 

“In some sectors, like construction, the decreasing number of specialists has actually helped to boost salaries for those who stayed in Poland,” Bobrowicz explains. “Thus, migration has had a big impact on the Polish labour market and economy. Some workers are actually returning from abroad because salaries in construction have gone up so much.”

 

This situation has led some in Poland to worry about the future of Poland’s labour market and economic development. “As more qualified or potential qualified people leave, Polish society may suffer as a significant part of its human capital transfers to other countries,” Bobrowicz says. “If we take into account the fact that society is ageing, not too many immigrants are coming to Poland, combined with the emigration issue, we might have big problems soon.”

Keeping one foot behind

 

The rise of budget travel has made travelling to and from Poland easier, with Irish airline Ryanair operating out of eight Polish cities. Fares to Poland from London Stansted, Liverpool, Dublin and Stockholm can start from as little as £20.

 

“This new wave of migration is different from how it was in the 80s and earlier,” Bobrowicz says. “Then it was a big step and ‘forever’. Nowadays people leave for shorter periods of time and with cheap airlines, Internet and long-distance telephony, they can keep in touch with family and friends, and essentially keep one foot behind. Budget airlines have made it possible to come back more often for short periods of time, such as weekends, which is important when working full time. Some people just go abroad, for example to England, for a few months to make some money, but they keep a steady base back in Poland.

 

Most Poles leave the country to make money rather than build a career, especially as many work in low-prospect jobs such as catering.”
A recent report in the Gazeta Wyborcza highlighted the gruelling but impressive trend of people choosing to work abroad during the week and then return to Poland every other weekend to study.

 

“Even with the price of flights, this is still feasible, especially since academic standards and choices of courses in Poland are regarded as very good,” Bobrowicz explains. “Some people started studying in Poland and then emigrated. They’re now continuing their education with weekend courses, which gives them the possibility of both finishing their studies and having money at the same time.”

 

In Ireland, home to some 150,000 registered Polish workers, the Polish government is even planning to open a school as a way of keeping in touch with its “migrant generation”.  It will follow the national curriculum, giving students the chance to gain Polish qualifications while learning about their culture. Already the Dublin embassy provides weekend classes, with around 80 Polish children in attendance.

 

“While emigration can be a problem,” Bobrowicz concludes, “some believe it can be an opportunity for Poland, as it was for Ireland before. Returning Poles could also bring back new skills, ideas and work ethics that they learned abroad, which will hopefully help to modernise the Polish economy.”

 

Of course, that depends on the Polish government taking the right steps to encourage overseas Poles to return. Bobrowicz says that the government isn’t taking a strong interest in attracting young people to come back. So while Poland may benefit in the short term, the long-term implications of the new Polish question have yet to be answered.