Hiring Construction Workers from Abroad in Poland (2026)

7 min

The construction labour shortage in Poland

Polish construction companies, general contractors, and subcontracting firms face an ongoing shortage of practical site labor. Major metropolitan regions driving commercial and residential development - including Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, the Tri-City area (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot), Poznań, and the Katowice urban agglomeration - experience acute deficits in core trades. Key roles in high demand include formwork carpenters (cieśle szalunkowi), rebar fixers (zbrojarze), bricklayers (murarze), plasterers (tynkarze), and heavy equipment operators.

While domestic recruitment and workers from neighboring Eastern European countries previously filled these gaps, supply has tightened significantly. As a result, Polish employers increasingly recruit non-EU workers from countries in Central and South Asia or Latin America. Hiring from abroad is common and well established in Poland, but it requires navigating official administrative channels. Hiring is seasonal, with outdoor site activity peaking from April through November. Because immigration processing takes time, employers who need crews on site for early spring must initiate recruitment by late autumn or early winter.

Legal routes: Work permits and the labour market test

To employ a non-EU worker in Poland, the employer must initiate the legal process. The employer submits applications to local state administrative bodies before the worker can apply for an entry visa.

There are two primary legal pathways for hiring non-EU nationals in Poland:

Type A Work Permit (Zezwolenie na pracę typ A): This is the standard route for most non-EU candidates. The application is submitted by the employer to the regional Voivodeship Office (Urząd Wojewódzki) where the employer is registered. The issued permit is employer-specific and specifies the worker's position, minimum pay, and work location.
Employer Declaration (Oświadczenie o powierzeniu wykonywania pracy): This simplified route applies only to citizens of specific countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine). The employer registers the declaration at the local County Labour Office (Powiatowy Urząd Pracy). It allows work for up to 24 months without a full work permit.

For a Type A work permit, employers generally must complete a labour market test (test rynku pracy). The employer submits a job offer to the local Powiatowy Urząd Pracy to verify whether any local Polish or EU jobseekers are available to fill the position. The office issues a certificate (informacja starosty) confirming the inability to meet human resource needs locally. However, this test is waived if the trade is listed on regional shortage lists or the national Barometr zawodów (Occupational Barometer), where construction trades frequently feature as deficit occupations.

Always verify current procedural updates directly with your local Urząd Wojewódzki or the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy (Ministerstwo Rodziny, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej), as immigration rules and country eligibility are subject to change.

Timeline: From job offer to site arrival

Bringing a worker from a non-EU country to a job site in Poland typically takes between 3 and 6 months. Employers must factor this timeline into project schedules.

Step 1: Labour Market Test (if required): 14 to 21 days at the local Powiatowy Urząd Pracy.
Step 2: Work Permit Application: 30 to 90 days at the Urząd Wojewódzki. Processing times vary widely between voivodeships. Offices in Mazowieckie (Warsaw) or Dolnośląskie (Wrocław) often face backlogs, whereas less congested regions issue decisions faster.
Step 3: Visa Processing Abroad: 30 to 60 days. Once the employer receives the work permit (zezwolenie) and mails the original document to the candidate, the worker must secure a visa appointment at the Polish Embassy or Consulate (or external visa application center) in their home country.
Step 4: Arrival and Onboarding: 7 days. Upon arrival in Poland, the employer must sign the employment contract (matching or exceeding the terms stated in the permit) and register the worker with the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) within 7 days of starting work.

Pay, housing, and regulated trade qualifications

Polish law strictly regulates minimum remuneration for foreign workers. The pay stated in the work permit application must not be lower than the Polish statutory minimum wage or minimum hourly rate (płaca minimalna / stawka godzinowa). In 2026, the statutory minimum hourly rate stands above 30 PLN gross. However, market rates for skilled construction trades are higher. General labourers typically earn 28 to 32 PLN gross per hour, while skilled formwork carpenters, steel fixers, and masons command 32 to 45 PLN gross per hour or more, depending on performance and regional demand.

Employment is generally formalized through an employment contract (umowa o pracę) or a civil law mandate contract (umowa zlecenie). Regardless of the contract type, foreign workers must be covered by ZUS insurance for healthcare and pension contributions.

Providing accommodation is standard practice when hiring foreign construction workers in Poland. Employers usually arrange and pay for shared apartments, hostels, or site modular housing, sometimes deducting a partial, reasonable fee from monthly pay if agreed in advance in the contract. Providing clean, compliant housing is essential for workforce retention on long project cycles.

Certain specialized construction trades require local regulatory approval before work starts:

Heavy Machinery & Crane Operators: Equipment operators must have their qualifications recognized or certified by the Office of Technical Inspection (Urząd Dozoru Technicznego - UDT).
Electricians: Site electricians working on high-voltage installations must obtain energy qualification certificates issued by bodies such as the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers (Stowarzyszenie Elektryków Polskich - SEP).

It is vital to maintain legal compliance during recruitment. A legitimate employer never charges a prospective worker fees for a job offer, contract, or work permit application. Under Polish law and international labor standards, recruitment fees are the sole responsibility of the employer. Workers who are asked to pay money to secure employment or permits are frequently targets of recruitment fraud. Employers who engage with unethical agencies demanding fees from candidates risk serious legal liability, including fines from the State Labour Inspection (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy) and potential disqualification from applying for future work permits.

What this costs you, roughly

Budgeting for non-EU hires involves several fixed administrative and operational cost lines per worker. Here is an overview of direct expenses:

Work Permit Fee (Zezwolenie na pracę): 100 PLN paid to the Voivodeship Office (or 50 PLN for short-term permits).
Declaration Fee (Oświadczenie): 100 PLN paid to the local Powiatowy Urząd Pracy.
Document Sworn Translations: 150 to 300 PLN for translating foreign qualifications or identification documents into Polish by a certified translator (tłumacz przysięgły).
Travel & Logistics: 1,500 to 4,000 PLN per worker for international flights or transport, depending on the country of origin.
Worker Accommodation: 600 to 1,200 PLN per worker per month for shared housing, depending on the municipality.
Occupational Health Exam & Safety Training (BHP): 200 to 400 PLN mandatory initial medical check (badania lekarskie) and safety training before entering the site.

How to search the Workuro registry for construction workers

If you want to avoid third-party agency recruitment fees and hire directly, you can search the Workuro worker registry. Workuro provides an open platform where candidates from non-EU countries create profiles detailing their trade skills, professional experience, language abilities, and preferred work destinations.

Employers in Poland can filter profiles specifically for construction trades such as carpenters, masons, welders, and general site staff who have explicitly indicated their desire to work in Poland. You can review candidate qualifications and contact workers directly to evaluate their suitability for your job sites.

Workuro charges no per-hire fees, placement commissions, or success margins. Employers pay only for access to the registry, and workers never pay to publish their profiles. Please note that the Workuro registry is a growing database. While candidate pools expand regularly, availability depends on trade specialization and region. Direct contact allows you to assess candidates quickly and handle the Polish work permit process directly through your local Urząd Wojewódzki.