By how many Polish people go back home. That’s if you believe the Guardian. Last weekend the paper published a couple of articles in which it outlined the most obvious signs of a recession. And they are a lower electricity consumption and reverse migration of Poles (is there such a thing, or have I just invented it?). Reasons why Poland is a better option than the UK in 2009?
The Polish economy – now the world’s 20th largest – is proving a lot more resilient to the financial crisis than Britain’s, mainly because its banking system is not riddled with the toxic material that has poisoned the UK’s once-mighty banks. And it is attracting former emigres home in droves. (…) It has been estimated that of Poland’s 38 million people, one million have made their way to Britain and Ireland in the past five years. About 6% of the workforce left in a very short space of time – and they were generally young, motivated and well educated.
A Polish minister told the paper Poland had suffered labour shortages, but – thanks to fast rising wages in Poland – more and more people nowadays decide to go back home. The minister also
added that Dell’s recent announcement that it would move 2,000 jobs from Limerick to Poland was a “very good sign” for the Polish economy, although it was ironic because plenty of Poles were already working at Dell in Ireland.
The Irish Times meanwhile reported last week that Dell encourages its Polish workers in Ireland to apply for jobs in their home country. And you have to admit they’re clever about their approach:
With no relocation package or language lessons on offer, a company spokesman admitted that few Irish workers were likely to move to the central Polish city of Lodz.
Indeed. Very unlikely.
Recently I mentioned two other programmes aimed at returning Poles and it seems the drive to make people return to Poland is now gaining momentum, helped by the rapidly worsening economic situation in the UK and Ireland.
It doesn’t of course mean that ALL Polish people will go back, but it may imply that the era of cheap Polish labour – and jokes – might be coming to an end…
Image © Kai Hendry via Flickr used under CC licence
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