European Interest

Poland to open its labour market to Filipinos

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“We are on course to conclude an agreement. I hope that in the autumn we will be able to at least sign a preliminary accord”, said Polish Deputy Labour Minister Stanislaw Szwed.

To cover a growing labour shortage in the country, Poland is seeking to hire millions of Filipino workers.

Deputy Labour Minister Stanislaw Szwed announced the plans. He was quoted by Poland’s PAP news agency as saying: “We are on course to conclude an agreement. I hope that in the autumn we will be able to at least sign a preliminary accord”.

As reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Szwed noted that Poland and the Philippines were both Roman Catholic countries and so shared many cultural values.

Poland was in particular looking to attract qualified workers, in the IT, medical and construction sectors, he added.

According to analyst forecasts, Poland by 2030 will be short of four million workers, partly the result of continued emigration of its own workforce to other EU countries and partly due to a low birth rate.

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