Significant drop in the number of work permits for foreigners in Poland
In the first half of 2026, Polish authorities issued significantly fewer work permits for foreigners than in previous years. Data indicate a clear downward trend, which may impact the situation in the domestic labor market.
According to the latest information, 69,000 work permits were issued during the first six months of the current year. For comparison, in the same period of 2025, this number was 144,000, and a year earlier, in 2024, it was as many as 173,000 documents.
This means that compared to last year, the number of issued permits has fallen by more than half. Experts are analyzing the causes of this phenomenon, pointing to changing migration regulations and the economic situation in the country.
The reduction in the number of issued documents may affect the availability of workers in many sectors of the economy, such as construction, logistics, and agriculture. Entrepreneurs who have previously relied on the labor of people from abroad must now adapt to the new conditions.
This situation remains under observation by labor market analysts. In the coming months, it will become clear whether the downward trend will continue until the end of the year and what its long-term effects will be for the Polish economy.