Przesiedleńcy-repatrianci na rynku pracy w Polsce w latach 1990–2017

Abstract

The resettlement of people of Polish descent from the Soviet Union, which began at the turn of 1989 and 1990, was spontaneous and unorganised. This caused numerous problems. It was only with the adoption of the Act of 1997 on Foreigners that administrative management of this process began, and in 2000 the Act on Repatriation came to regulate all issues related to resettlement. However, this did not protect the repatriates from marginalisation, poverty or unemployment. For years, they remained settled far from relatives and friends, working below their qualifications. The Polish labour market turned out to be limited for them by barriers that they were unable to overcome. The factors that made it difficult to find a job were: age, health condition, lack of knowledge of the language, unrecognised diplomas and, finally, too great a distance from cities with a developing absorptive labour market. Despite the profound changes in the repatriation programme after 2016, resettlers still have to face these obstacles.