Ukrainians Rush to Relocate Businesses to Poland After Invasion

Ukrainians accounted for 45% of all the new foreign companies that set up shop in Poland last year, according to a report by the Polish Economic Institute.

(Bloomberg) — Ukrainians accounted for 45% of all the new foreign companies that set up shop in Poland last year, according to a report by the Polish Economic Institute. 

In a sign of how Russia’s invasion is transforming economies, Ukrainian citizens registered 10,200 one-person enterprises and 3,600 companies with Ukrainian capital between January and September. Their share in the number of new business in Poland rose to 8.5% in September from below 1% before the war began.

More than a million Ukrainian refugees, mostly women, have found refuge in Poland since Feb. 24, according to the report from the state-affiliated think tank. The government data show 420,000 have found employment with many setting up companies, mainly in construction, IT and the retail industry. Women made up 41% of the new single-person enterprises set up by Ukrainians, the report showed.

More than 50% of companies that registered in Poland did so to continue the business they had run in Ukraine. About two-thirds said they intend to stay on the Polish market regardless of the outcome of the war.

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