The report “Untapped Potential. Working Below One’s Competencies Among Non-EU Foreign Nationals in Poland” analyzes the situation of foreign nationals on the Polish labour market. It shows the reasons why migrants in Poland do not perform work commensurate with their education, qualifications, and competences. It draws attention to the barriers that hinder foreigners’ access to the labour market, as well as the positive impact of career counseling.
The survey was conducted among clients of Ocalenie Foundation. The interviews and questionnaires show that all respondents were professionally active before coming to Poland. They liked their jobs and assessed their professional situation positively. The vast majority worked in positions consistent with their education. At the time of the study, two-thirds of the respondents were doing work in Poland that required lower qualifications than the work they did in their country of origin. Our report also shows that working below one’s qualifications is not satisfying—less than half of the respondents like their work in Poland.
The respondents wanted to develop their skills, and each of them had consulted at least once with the career counseling team of Ocalenie Foundation, which supports foreigners in entering the Polish labour market. The report contains recommendations for foreigners looking for work in Poland, support organizations, and employers.
Find out more by reading the Research Summary!
Full report “Untapped Potential. Working Below One’s Competencies Among Non-EU Foreign Nationals in Poland” in Polish is available here.
This publication was produced with the support of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation – Regional Office in Warsaw, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation or the German Federal Foreign Office. The publication is distributed free of charge and may not be used for electoral campaign purposes.