The draft bill by the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Policy on the conditions for employing foreign workers in Poland has sparked a wave of criticism. Notably, last Wednesday, the Council of Ministers also approved the proposal.

After reviewing the provisions of this bill, one might question whether its creators are fully aware of what they have included. In our view, forcing employers to hire foreign workers exclusively under an employment contract is a complete misunderstanding. This is an absurd regulation, especially when we are facing a major crisis in recruiting new employees.

Such top-down regulations make Polish entrepreneurs less competitive. Moreover, they are highly restrictive, as they do not allow foreign workers to be employed under the same conditions as Polish citizens. The provisions in the draft bill force entrepreneurs to offer foreign workers better conditions “from the start” than those available to Polish employees.

It seems that this bill was not consulted with anyone. As the National Federation of SMEs, we strongly oppose its provisions.