Polish Workers in Great Britain

As Poles Prosper, Britain's Immigrant Equation Changes

Since Poland joined the European Union in 2004 and Britain, unlike France and most other members, welcomed Polish workers, an estimated 1.1 million Poles, mainly young, have come to Britain. Today, they are the third-largest group of immigrants in the country, behind Irish and Indians


By JULIA WERDIGIER
from London, GREAT BRITAIN
Story from The New York Times


When Piotr Farbiszewski landed here three years ago, he had enough money in his pocket to live for two weeks. A successful technology consultant in Warsaw, he and his wife, Ela, a school-teacher, had come to London to try living here; if they liked it, they would stay. To earn money, he worked as a builder while she cooked hamburgers. They decided that they liked London, and within a year, Mr. Farbiszewski was a senior programmer at a software company.

"We're very happy here," Mr.Farbiszewski, 31, said. "The quality of life is better, the economy is stronger, there is less bureaucracy, it's a multicultural society and the lady in the supermarket will smile at me. People don't smile at each other in Poland."

Since Poland joined the European Union in 2004 and Britain, unlike France and most other members, welcomed Polish workers, an estimated 1.1 million Poles, mainly young, have come to Britain. Today, they are the third-largest group of immigrants in the country, behind Irish and Indians.

Britain has benefited. This month, the Home Office estimated that immigration added 6 billion pounds ($12.3 billion) to the nation's economy last year. Indeed, Britain may soon face a novel immigration problem. As Poland's economy has improved this year, immigration has slowed, which economists say could cause labor shortages in British industries.

Unlike most previous waves of migrants, the Poles did not restrict themselves to the cities. Some settled in remote towns of East Anglia and the Midlands, areas with little experience in immigration, where there have been some complaints of school overcrowding. But a decline in Polish immigrants could be a bigger problem than a surplus. The National Farmers' Union warned in September, for example, that there are few alternatives to immigration if Britain is to prevent a labor shortage.

Jan Mokrzycki. President of the Federation of Poles in Great Britain, said anecdotal evidence suggested that about 30 percent of Poles, mainly skilled workers and those able to speak English, were staying in Britain while many less skilled migrants, mainly from Poland's poorer southeast, were leaving.

"At the beginning, most questions we heard were about finding work," said Mr.Mokrzycki, who came from Poland with his parents in 1948. "Now, people ring to ask how they can get their children into a better school or how to deal with landlords."

Many Poles are also struggling to adjust to British cuisine, said Mr.Mokrzycki, who despite living in Britain for the last 60 years still needs his wife's Polish cucumber soup at least twice a week. Such cravings have led to a growing industry of Polish bars, restaurants and shops. Last year, British banks, supermarkets and brewers started to discover the lucrative market in catering to Poles in Britain, with combined disposable income estimated around $4 billion a year by some analysts.

"Food is very important for us Poles," said Beata Ciepal, 42, who came to Britain two years ago with her 14-year-old daughter after losing her job at a software company in Poland. "I only buy Polish sausages. I don't like the British ones."


(Published: 09.11.2007.)

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