48% of Ukrainians visit Poland for the purpose of employment, as evidenced by the results of the social survey “Poles and Ukrainians in Daily Contacts.”
According to the survey, 48% of respondents said they go to Poland to work, while 22% visited a neighboring state to see family or friends.
According to the study, the share of visits to Poland for employment has increased significantly compared to previous decades. So, in 2010, less than one third (29%) of Ukrainians visited the neighboring state for work purposes, and in 2000 this figure was only 16%.
The researchers note that such an increase in the number of work-related travel from Ukraine to Poland is a consequence of the economic situation in Ukraine, the visa-free regime introduced in 2017 and the simplification of Polish legislation on the employment of foreigners, making it easier for Ukrainians to obtain a work permit in Poland than elsewhere.
Only 5% of the respondents who have been to this country cited education as the reason for their visit. At the same time, Ukraine is not a popular place to work or study for Poles. Only 13% of Polish respondents have been to Ukraine for a work purpose, and even fewer Poles (3%) came for reasons related to education.
Overall, the study showed that significantly more Ukrainians travel to Poland than Poles to Ukraine. Thus, about 40% of Ukrainian respondents have visited Poland, while only 25% of the polled Poles have been to Ukraine. Also, contacts between Poles and Ukrainians have significantly intensified in recent years. A poll conducted by the Warsaw Institute of Public Relations (ISP) in 2010 found that only 10% of Ukrainians had visited Poland.