Trends and characteristics of migration from Ukraine to Poland: rural aspects and implications for state migration policy

Contemporary global migration trends in Europe and Poland are discussed. Problematic issues and threats to the functioning and development of rural areas in Poland are identified against the background of intensified emigration and internal mobility of the population of this country. The essence of the issue of Ukrainian migration as a resource to compensate for the deficit of employees on the Polish labor market is justified. Official data from the Office for Foreigners in Poland, the Central Statistical Office, the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, the Department of Statistics of the National Bank of Poland and some organizations involved in the study of migration within the territorial migration system Ukraine-Poland are presented. Based on these data, an increase in the size and scope of foreign labor migration of Ukrainians to Poland is proven (it has been shown that currently there are about 1.3 million Ukrainians in Poland, which constitutes 3.5% of the population of Poland and is a significant value), key changes in the qualitative and structural characteristics of migration are presented. The main parameters of permanent and labor migration of the population from Ukraine to rural areas in Poland are characterized. An important conclusion was drawn that despite the still small number, there are positive trends and improvements in the structure of Ukrainian emigration to rural areas in Poland. The results of the quantitative analysis of Ukrainian labor migration in the context of their employment in the agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing sectors were presented. The specificity and problematic issues of migration from Ukraine to rural areas in Poland were determined. Recommendations for the development of common Ukrainian-Polish practices and normative and methodological regulations, as well as priority instruments of migration policy aimed at meeting the socio-economic interests of both countries were substantiated.