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Publication date: 2025

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Editorial team

Secretary Kamil Łuczaj

Editor-in-Chief Jan Brzozowski

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Beyond Initial Boundaries: Two Decades of Polish Young Adult Migrants’ Labour Market Positionalities in the UK Post-EU Enlargement

Olga Czeranowska, Izabela Grabowska, Iga Wermińska-Wiśnicka

Migration Studies – Review of Polish Diaspora, Online First, Online First

https://doi.org/10.4467/25444972SMPP.24.025.20741

Since the 2004 European Union enlargement, the United Kingdom has seen a significant influx of Polish migrants, many of whom initially found employment in low-skilled roles due to their immediate availability and low entry barriers. This study explores the career changes of young adult Polish migrants in the UK over the past two decades. Using data from British public statistics – the Annual Population Survey (APS) and in-depth interviews – we comprehensively analyse their labour market positionalities in the UK. Our findings reveal a shift from initial deskilling and confinement to the secondary labour market to diverse, upwardly mobile career changes. This study emphasises the critical role of practical skills, work ethics, experience, and social networks in migrants’ professional development. This research contributes to the broader discourse on post-EU enlargement of Central and Eastern European migration, providing a nuanced understanding of young adult Polish migrants’ labour market experiences in the UK.

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The Role of Children’s Education in Family Decision-Making Strategies among Migrants in Poland

Elżbieta Goździak

Migration Studies – Review of Polish Diaspora, Online First, Online First

https://doi.org/10.4467/25444972SMPP.25.007.21390

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Migrant and refugee women from former USSR countries at the Crossroads of Sociopolitical Crises, Russian War in Ukraine and Intersectional State Violence

Dorota Szpakowicz

Migration Studies – Review of Polish Diaspora, Online First, Online First

https://doi.org/10.4467/25444972SMPP.24.030.21228

Women from former USSR countries with migration histories who arrived in Poland in recent years have faced complex challenges resulting from the recent poly-crises in the Eastern European region. This empirical article, based on 39 in-depth narrative interviews with Belarusian, Chechen, Russian and Ukrainian migrant and refugee women, hears and retells their narratives of fleeing, migration, trauma and marginalisation. Particularly, it shows the diverse experiences of the multiple wounds related to war, intersectional state violence, disadvantage and deskilling in the labour market and the complex processes of precarization. However, whilst it uncovers the accumulation of risks and precarity, it also documents how women regain strength and agency in decisions and life strategies, especially in the context of intersectional state violence experienced transnationally. It concludes that despite multiple and complex adversities, migrant and refugee women retain their subjectivity, whilst the (transnational) sisterhood – women’s support in recovering and shaping livelihood strategies – plays a crucial role in such processes.

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Filial Piety Across Borders: Decision-Making and Migration Experiences of Young Chinese in Poland

Natalia Ożegalska-Łukasik

Migration Studies – Review of Polish Diaspora, Online First, Online First

https://doi.org/10.4467/25444972SMPP.25.005.21388

China’s birth control policy and modernization efforts in the late 20th century altered family structures, which made children primarily responsible for elderly care. As a result, Chinese migrants face new challenges in maintaining family obligations, particularly in countries like Poland, which has a relatively small Chinese diaspora. This study analyzes the migration experience, including migration decision-making factors, perception of filial piety (xiao), and practices of maintaining family ties abroad for Chinese migrants in Poland. The research is based on Reflective Thematic Analysis (RTA) and draws on 30 interviews conducted between 2022 and 2023 with Chinese individuals residing in Poland for at least a year. The paper studies the complex social, cultural, and emotional factors that influence how migrants fulfill their family responsibilities abroad. Findings reveal that Chinese migrants generally view Poland as a temporary residence, with limited opportunities to develop transnational care strategies. For most participants, the decision to choose Poland as a migration destination was determined by external factors, and they expressed the desire to return to China, anticipating a deeper emotional engagement with their ageing parents upon their return. The migration experience prompts significant changes in their awareness, future plans, and participation in elder care.

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Słowa kluczowe: Polish young adult migrants, UK labour market, May 2004 EU enlargement, labour market positionalities, career changes, intersectional violence, state violence, migratised women from former USSR countries in Poland, poly-crises, filial piety, Chinese migration, transnational care, decision making, Poland

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