Poland plans to employ workers from Sri Lanka in specific sectors

Sri Lankan authorities said in a recent statement that Poland plans to recruit workers from Sri Lanka for specific sectors of the economy, amid ongoing labour shortages.

The initiative follows the official visit of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski to Poland on July 18-21, 2024, reports Schengen.News.

During a recent meeting, Minister Sabry reiterated the need for a rapid visa facilitation mechanism in the context of potential employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in Poland. Minister Sikorski responded by proposing a G2G agreement to create legal and decent employment opportunities for the Sri Lankan labour market in identified sectors.

In addition to employment opportunities for Sri Lankans, Sabry and Sikorski discussed strengthening people-to-people contacts and cultural exchange, while emphasizing the importance of further strengthening cooperation.

They identified growth potential in several key areas, including port development, tourism, agri-food and automotive. The two ministers also discussed regional and multilateral issues, including a shared commitment to global peace and security, sustainable development and climate action.

As stated in an official statement, Sabry met with other Polish government officials and discussed, among other things, issues related to the promotion of trade and tourism.

The number of foreign workers in Poland has increased rapidly, reaching almost 1.3 million in October 2023.

According to data from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), at the end of October 2023, nearly 1.3 million foreigners worked legally in Poland, which means an increase of 61,000 employees compared to the end of 2022.

Despite this growth, Poland’s push to employ Sri Lankan workers shows the country’s need for additional foreign labour.

In addition, an earlier report by Rzeczpospolita shows that various sectors in Poland are struggling with a shortage of workers. According to the founder of the employment agency Personnel Service Krzysztof Inglot, the shortage of local workers is one of the reasons.

We see a deepening deficit of Poles on the labor market, and increasingly we also observe a significant shortage of workers from Ukraine. This causes an increase in demand for workers from other countries.

Report reveals that Poland has a shortage of workers in 28 professions

Despite Poland having the lowest employment rate among EU countries, the EURES 2023 Shortage and Surplus Report shows that the country is facing labour shortages in 28 professions.

Affected sectors include crafts and trade, education, healthcare, production and transport.