This year, as many as 7,000 foreigners may work in the county, mainly citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Georgia. “Last year, we hosted nearly 4,500 workers from across the eastern border,” says the Bolesławiec County Starost, Tomasz Gabrysiak. “For at least the past three years, we have recorded a steady increase in the number of foreigners arriving mainly in search of employment. The trend is upward, and everything indicates that this year the figure may reach as many as 6,000–7,000 people.
A considerable number of foreigners legalize their stay and settle permanently in Bolesławiec County. They bring their families. Others treat their stay in Poland as a stopover on their further journey to Western and Northern European countries.
A large group consists of people looking for seasonal work. “We keep a register of employers who report their willingness to hire foreigners,” says Anna Zug, director of the County Labour Office. “There are very many interested applicants. During the spring and summer, as is obvious, workers for farms and horticultural holdings are particularly sought after. Seasonal workers may work for up to nine months on the basis of a permit issued by the County Labour Office. If they want and are able to take up work for a longer period, they must obtain a decision from the voivode. Such a decision is issued for six months, with the possibility of an extension.
Foreigners are making up for the shortage of Polish workers, who are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the county, where the unemployment rate is four percent.