Emigrant Poles prefer to stay in UK

The profile of the typical Polish emigrant to Great Britain or Ireland is young, educated and with good English, according to a new survey.
Unfortunately, many are in jobs well below their qualification. Twenty-two percent of those with a university degree are doing physical work.
And, sadly for Poland?s future, half said they do not plan to return to their homeland for many years. Thus the results underscore Polish leaders? worries about a brain drain affecting the country?s current and future prosperity.
Warsaw-based ARC Rynek i Opinia conducted the survey. The market research agency, which specializes in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, interviewed 1,389 Poles either heading for Britain or Ireland or already there. Some were interviewed on planes in Poland, others on buses or at airports in Britain and Ireland.
Most Poles do physical work in Britain and Ireland. Twenty percent have jobs in construction, 15 percent in restaurants and 11 percent in hotels.
The average Pole earns 1,500 to 2,200 euro net a month. Three-fourths said they were in steady jobs.
The research shows a new model of emigration, with Poles maintaining strong ties with their homeland through modern communication, especially the Internet. This gives them a feeling of proximity to families and friends.
Before the days of modern communication, it was difficult for immigrants to maintain frequent ties with their homelands. Many quickly adopted the ways of their new country. The research indicated that 60 percent of Poles in Britain and Ireland buy products manufactured in Poland. Sixty percent also watch and listen to Polish media or get their news from Polish web sites. Most of the emigrants said they spend their free time with Polish friends. Even so, half of those surveyed said they will not be returning to Poland in the near future. Those with university degrees were much more likely to say they will not return than those with less education. Some said they wanted to sock away a lot of money, then return.