Svitlana Chugaievska

Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University,

Krakow, Poland

E-mail: schugaievska@uafm.edu.pl

ORCID 0000-0002-9751-9647

The impact of Ukrainian migration flows on labor and product markets in Poland

Anna Dybala

Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce,

Kielce, Poland

E-mail: anna.dybala@ujk.edu.pl

ORCID 0000-0002-1114-6457

Rafal Wisla

Jagiellonian University in Krakow,

Krakow, Poland

Email: rafal.wisla@uj.edu.pl

ORCID 0000-0002-7895-6243

Abstract. The rapid flow of Ukrainian refugees due to the war has created challenges for host countries. Poland ranks second among host nations, with about 1 million forced migrants in 2025. Many have found employment, while others work remotely, seek jobs, retrain, or care for family members. Additionally, the economic crisis and the 2014 war significantly increased labor migration from Ukraine. Even before 2022, Poland employed 2–3 million Ukrainian workers, making them the largest foreign labor group. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Ukrainians have played a key role in the Polish labor market. This study aims to analyze migration from Ukraine to Poland (2014–2023) and assess its impact on labor and product markets’ indicators. The methodology includes descriptive and monographic approaches, sociometric methods to process survey results (Nov 2022–Feb 2023 , May–Oct 2024) , and economic-statistical tools based on the Cobb-Douglas production function. The research enables an evaluation of Poland’s GDP growth linked to increased human resources in the labor market.

Received: February, 2025

1st Revision: March, 2026

Accepted: April, 2026

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2026/19-1/5

JEL Classification: J6, E2, C6

Keywords: migration processes, migration crisis in Ukraine, labor market, economic growth of Poland, Cobb-Douglas function for the Polish economy