Contrary to what some believe, Poland's returning migrants are not finding it easy to integrate back into the local labor market. Although domestic wages and labor demand have increased in the past five years, there is still a major talent and wage gap. Many Poles, despite having gained new language and job skills abroad, were employed in low-skill sectors. Polish waiters, cleaners, nannies and construction workers were a common sight throughout the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

This labor force included both unskilled and educated Poles who wanted to take advantage of their higher earning potential abroad. Others, including nurses and IT specialists, were able to work in their chosen professions, though mostly on a contractual basis.

Many workers with university or advanced degrees are now finding it difficult to translate work experiences garnered outside Poland into well-paid or highly-skilled jobs at home. Those with management or executive-level experience overseas may demand compensation packages on a par with those in developed markets.

Without a deep restructuring of Poland's education, transportation and pension systems, all of which would encourage development of higher value-added jobs, Poles will most likely leave again as the global economy picks up. According to a survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), more than a third of Polish migrants who worked in the UK plan to live outside Poland again. Their numbers will probably increase as other countries in Western Europe ease immigration restrictions on EU-8 nationals in the near future. As a result, we may be witnessing the creation of a permanently mobile Polish labor force.