Tuesday 23 March 2010

Germans Travel to Poland for Work

THE TELEGRAPH: Unemployed Germans have begun travelling to Poland in search of jobs - in a dramatic reversal of the usual trend for immigrant workers.

Thousands of people from eastern Germany are now commuting across the border into western Poland in an effort to escape the downturn afflicting the region.

The strength of the Polish economy and the weakness of its once all-powerful German peer is behind the change in fortunes.

As many as 2,500 Germans are now registered to work in the region surrounding the north-western city of Szczecin but officials believe the real figure is far higher due to people working on the black market.

While some work in call centres, the construction sector has proved popular, and many workers prefer to go unregistered in order to pocket extra money.

In Uecker Randow, the German district that lies just a stone's throw from Szczecin, unemployment lies close to 20 per cent and the area is blighted by one of Germany's highest rates of long-term unemployment. >>> Matthew Day in Warsaw | Monday, March 22, 2010