Trends and Characteristics of the Migration From Ukraine to Poland: The Aspect of Rural Areas and Conclusion for State Migration Policy

Abstract

The authors describe modern global migration trends in Europe and in particular in Poland. The problems and risks for the functioning and development of rural areas of Poland during the strengthening of emigration attitudes and internal mobility of the population are identified. The aspects of the Ukrainian migration as a resource for levelling labour-deficit trends in the Polish labour market are substantiated. The official data of the Office for Foreigners in Poland, the Central Statistical Office, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, the Department of Statistics of the National Bank of Poland, individual organisations for the study of migration between the Ukraine and Poland are presented and the growing volumes and the scale of external labour migration of Ukrainians to Poland are stated (it is shown that today there are about 1.3 million Ukrainians in Poland, which at about 3.5% of the population is a significant value); key changes in the qualitative and structural characteristics of migration are shown. The main parameters of permanent and labour migration of Ukrainians to rural areas in Poland are characterised. An important conclusion is that, despite still low volumes, there are positive trends and the structural characteristics of Ukrainian emigration to rural areas of Poland are improving. The results of the analysis of the quantitative characteristics of Ukrainian labour migration are presented in the context of their employment in types of Poland’s economic activity such as agriculture,forestry, fishery and hunting. The authors determine features and problematic aspects of this migration. The recommendations regarding the development of joint Ukrainian-Polish practices and regulatory and guidance provisions, as well as the priority tools of migration policy, focused on meeting the socio-economic interests of both countries, are justified.