Poland offers higher minimum salaries than Ukraine and jobs left by Polish workforce, while the economic trend is less affected by Covid-19 emergency than Ukrainian economy.

As many as 59 percent of Ukrainians are disappointed with the economic situation in their country, according to the Rating Group data. No wonder - the coronavirus outbreak is taking its toll on our neighbours' economy.

The data of the Ukrainian Statistical Office show that in the second quarter of this year Ukraine's GDP fell by 11.4 percent y/y and the unemployment rate reached almost 10 percent. Personnel Service experts indicate that the growing wages at the rate of approx. 8 percent remain a positive indicator, but still the minimum wage in Ukraine is four times lower than in Poland. Therefore, one should not expect Ukrainian workers to resign from emigration.

The coronavirus epidemic has limited economic emigration from Ukraine to Poland, but our observations show that it has not weakened the interest in leaving for our country. Our research shows that as many as 61 percent of those who have work experience in Poland want to return. Some people are restrained by administrative or compulsory quarantine reasons, but most plan to go abroad to work, which is great news for employers from many sectors. The food industry, RTV / household appliances production or logistics need hands to work, because Poles, despite limited employment in some sectors of the economy, still do not want to work where Ukrainians are hired.

Krzysztof Inglot, President of the Management Board of Personnel Service

The statutory minimum wage in Ukraine is UAH 4,723, which is the equivalent of PLN 636 (exchange rate as of October 5, 2020). This amount is earned by representatives of the HORECA industry, and employees of, among others, education, administration, agriculture and construction. The average salary of our eastern neighbours is PLN 1,590 after conversion. For comparison, in Poland the average salary is about PLN 5,400.

Source: WBJ