01.10.2008: But how many are coming back? – American Investor
But how many are coming back?
By Andrzej Tutkaj, activist of the Federation of Poles in theU.K.who was involved in helping Polish migrants inBritainin 2004-2006. He runs a small claims management company inLondon.
There are many reasons why Poles prefer coming to theUK rather than to other European countries. First, there is a long history of Poles already being settled in the UK since 1945. Therefore there are established Polish communities already in Britain. Many have come over knowing that they can get by through the help of friends or family without having a high command of the English language. Before 2004 there was an estimated 300,000 Poles already working in UK who identified themselves as being self employed, on various student/employment visas as well as staying illegally.
The pound/złoty exchange rate was 1:7.13 whenPolandjoined the EU. This meant that working in theUKwas a very attractive proposition compared to working in Poland.
Laid back in the UK
The UK, together with Ireland and Sweden opened its labour markets in May 2004 for Poles and other A8 countries, unlike Germany, France,Austria and Italy which mainly kept their markets shut for new EU entrants. This meant that Poles did not really have much of a choice about where to go for legal work.
The UK labor market is also relaxed and generally very loosely regulated. Immigrants were able to find work for intense short periods in order to provide their families with much needed cash.
What I have learned from Poles is their freshness, bravery and dynamic approach to life. However the other side of the coin was the shock I have had at meeting many new arrivals completely unprepared for life in theUK.
Some stay a few weeks, months, several years. Some travel regularly and even commute between Britain and Poland .Others intend to make the UK their permanent home. There is no real hard and fast rule. It depends on mainly their earning potential in UK compared to Poland. Factors like quality of life, whether the spouse and children are brought over from Poland, quality of education, job security, crime rate and general well being are now coming into play. Also, the relative strengthening of Poland’s economy compared with the economic weakness and credit crunch in the UK are now making people think about leaving the UK for Poland.
It is impossible to say what proportion will return toPoland, since there are no firm statistics. At a rough guess I would say that half of who have recently arrived will stay in theUKand half will eventually return to Poland. But this estimate is based on gut feeling rather than on hard evidence.
The main motivations for returning home are homesickness and family, but are mainly economic. The times are now gone when you could work flat out for say three years and then return to Poland with sacks full of money .There are signs from UK industry sources that some, mainly university educated Poles, are now not prepared to work in factories for GBP 5.50 per hour and are considering changing jobs, thinking of returning or have already returned to Poland. There are also now perceived quality of life considerations in the UK compared to Poland that are also influencing the decision as to whether to stay or leave.
An excess of the educated?
The reason for this is mainly Polish demographics compared to theUK. In 2004Poland has an excess of educated 20-30 year olds. There were 690,000 people born in Poland between 1982 and 1983. Unemployment at the time was over 20% and the Polish economy could never absorb so many young people into suitable jobs and fulfilling careers. At the time the UK had a shortfall of working 20-30 year olds and the British government stated that there were 640,000 unfilled job vacancies. Furthermore, several hundred thousand Britons were each year emigrating to France, Spain, Australia, the U.S. as well as many other countries.
Therefore, Poland could not absorb all of its young graduates and for some it made sense to actively encourage young Poles to move from Poland to Britain for obtain work. Unfortunately, it is sometimes very difficult to fit Polish qualifications into the British employment system. Also there are the many British employment and society “ropes” that newly arrived Poles were completely unfamiliar with. Getting a good job in Britain is still in many cases very much based on acquaintance and recommendation. The phrase “not what you know but who you know” is still very relevant in British society today.
For example, Polish law graduates would now have to start learning English law, based on a completely different legal system, from complete scratch if they wanted a law career Britain. In other spheres, many highly qualified Polish graduates have had to start their lives in Britain working in pubs, since their own experience and knowledge is incompatible with Britain’s high-skilled demands. Take another example: Polish plumbers require British qualifications in order to be able to provide gas safety certificates.
Hence for many educated Poles, a further study period ranging from several months to several years is required in order to break into the world of highly skilled, better paid jobs in Britain.
Entrepreneurs succeed
The Polish migrants who have made breathtaking careers are usually the entrepreneurs who have seized upon the potential for making money out of newly- arrived Poles inBritain. I personally know of a case of a pizza delivery rider who runs a substantial UK-Poland money transfer business. Many UK institutions such as the main high street banks and supermarkets have belatedly seen the great potential for profit from the Polish pound.
However, I think it may take many more years before we see the “new wave” Poles making the board of directors of major UK institutions.
Poles returning toPolandwill bring in the ethos of wealth creation through hard work and flair, which previously has not been really been encouraged inPoland. They will also put pressure on the government to get rid of red tape and a system that had previously stifled entrepreneurship.
Those who return toPolandhave difficulties in dealing with the red tape, compared toBritainwhen things like setting up a business and tax issues are relatively straightforward and user-friendly. At this moment, “new wave” entrepreneurs still generally prefer to do business in Britain and measures should be taken to encourage them to invest and do business inPoland. The labour market experience in Britain should also help with matters like self confidence and initiative, traits that are not frowned upon in the UK.
Employment flexibility is also an important issue. In Britain, people tend to move from one company to another after a several year stints and this employment climate will be more and more prevalent inPoland. Changing jobs at the appropriate time for career progress will soon be considered as the norm.