Poles turn backs on German labour market
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
09.01.2012 09:27
Around 26,000 Poles have left for the Germany since the opening of the country’s labour market in May 2011 – a far smaller number than was expected.
The Nuremberg Institute for Employment Research says German employers were expecting at least 300,000 would seek employment in the neighbouring state.
Agnieszka Zielińska, head of the Polish HR Forum in Germany, says that the German employers had not expected that Poles would not want to work for wages lower than the German average.
“German employers had expected that Polish workers would have far lower expectations. They had hoped that with the complete opening up of the market, they would gain a source of cheap labour. This has not happened, however,” she told Polish Radio.
Poles seeking jobs abroad have opted for Great Britain and the Netherlands.
Agnieszka Zielińska advises prospective economic migrants to exercise caution when seeking a job from agencies, many of which have proven to be bogus.
“A job agency has no right to collect any payment for their service. It is, therefore, recommended that all job offers and agencies are meticulously verified, beforehand before selecting them.”
Over the years, many new immigrants have fallen prey to dishonest agencies. Duped, the newcomers were forced to take up social benefits soon after their arrival in a given country. (ab/pg)