Legalising the Employment of Foreign Nationals as Part of a Business Strategy

The Labour Market in Poland: The Growing Role of Foreign Nationals

In recent years, the Polish labour market has undergone a fundamental transformation, changing its role not only in Europe, but also in global employee mobility. Until recently, labour migration from Poland was an important feature of the market. Today, we are increasingly seeing the opposite trend. Poland has become a country that attracts human capital, and employing foreign nationals is no longer merely a supplementary measure. It has become an integral part of how many businesses operate.

This change is the result of several overlapping factors. On the one hand, Poland is experiencing dynamic economic development, stable GDP growth, and growing demand for employees in key sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, construction, and services. On the other hand, demographic challenges are deepening: an ageing population, a decline in the number of working-age people, and very low unemployment mean that local labour resources are no longer sufficient.

This is neither a temporary nor a purely seasonal phenomenon. Labour migration is becoming a permanent element of the Polish labour market structure and one of the key factors supporting its balance. For businesses, this means a need to change their approach: from occasionally hiring foreign nationals to consciously and strategically managing an international workforce.

According to Statistics Poland (GUS), at the end of November 2025, approximately 1.1 million foreign nationals were working in Poland, representing a 6.5% increase compared with 2024. Their share of the labour market already amounts to approximately 6.5-6.7% of all employed persons.

Employment Legalisation: A Key Operational and Compliance Challenge for Organisations

Despite the growing importance of foreign employees, the process of legalising their employment remains one of the most complex and demanding areas of organisational management. For many companies, it is a real barrier to growth, not because of a lack of candidates, but because of limited capacity to employ them efficiently and in compliance with the law.

The first and key challenge for organisations is the complex legal system within which the employment of foreign nationals is legalised. The system in force in Poland is neither uniform nor intuitive. It is based on multiple parallel routes, such as work permits, the declaration procedure, various types of residence permits, and special solutions for selected groups of foreign nationals.

An additional difficulty is the pace of legislative change and frequent modifications in administrative practice. As a result, organisations must not only know the current regulations, but also be able to interpret and apply them correctly in specific cases. This means that employment legalisation is no longer a simple administrative task. It has become a process that requires specialist knowledge and ongoing monitoring of regulations.

For this reason, organisations increasingly treat this area as part of professional operational support, comparable to outsourcing HR and payroll or accounting, where not only accuracy but also efficiency and predictability of the process are essential.

Why Do Companies Choose to Outsource Employment Legalisation Specialists?

Organisations that treat the legalisation of foreign nationals’ employment as part of their operational strategy are increasingly concluding that keeping this area entirely in-house is no longer efficient. In practice, the way employment legalisation is managed, including the decision to outsource it, is becoming one of the important factors in building a competitive advantage.

Shorter time to employment

Outsourcing can significantly reduce the time needed to employ a foreign national by using ready-made, proven procedures and up-to-date knowledge of administrative practice.

An experienced partner:

• selects the optimal legalisation route already at the recruitment stage
• minimises formal errors and the need to supplement documentation
• runs the process in parallel with other HR activities

As a result, employee onboarding can be carried out faster and in a more predictable way, which directly translates into the organisation’s operational efficiency.

Reduced compliance risk

Employing foreign nationals also involves a high level of compliance risk. Outsourcing makes it possible to transfer a significant part of operational responsibility to a specialised provider that manages these types of processes on a daily basis.

In practice, this means:

• greater confidence that documentation is correct
• ongoing adjustment to changes in regulations and interpretations
• preparing the organisation for inspections by authorities such as the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), the Border Guard, and ZUS

For company management boards, this primarily means greater security and a lower risk of costly mistakes.

Better experience for employees being hired

The way a company conducts the legalisation process has a direct impact on its image among foreign employees.

Working with an outsourcing partner makes it possible to:

• provide employees with support at every stage of the process
• eliminate organisational confusion and delays
• build the image of an employer that operates transparently and professionally

In a competitive labour market, this is often a decisive factor in an employee’s choice of employer and long-term loyalty.

Scaling HR processes without expanding the team

One of the greatest advantages of outsourcing is the ability to scale HR processes without the need to expand internal HR and administration teams.

How Does PKF BPO Support Companies in Legalising the Employment of Foreign Nationals?

At PKF BPO, we offer comprehensive support in legalising the employment of foreign nationals, from advisory services and selecting the optimal route, through managing administrative processes, to integration with HR and payroll services and compliance support.

Thanks to the experience of our teams, we:

• shorten the time needed to employ workers from abroad
• ensure compliance with dynamically changing regulations
• take over operational management of the process, minimising the client’s involvement