Polish workers say bye to UK

Warsaw "Friendly team of hard-working Polish builders. Call Jacob," read the fliers that regularly dropped through letter boxes in British towns. The only problem for potential customers is that the "Jacobs" are not around any more.

As the recession deepens, the building trade contracts and the pound falls against the zloty, there is little reason to remain for many of the estimated 700,000 Poles who flocked to Britain after their country joined the European Union in 2004.

Builders and plumbers have packed their tools and are heading east as the money they were making to send home dries up. There is, however, another less conspicuous contingent departing British shores.

They are the educated, middle-class Poles who have decided that Britain is no longer a land of opportunity. Teachers, hotel managers, vets and bankers are among the 200,000 Poles who have returned to the country of Copernicus and Pope John Paul II in the past year, according to the Federation of Poles in Great Britain.

"I think more people will come back if they lose their jobs in the UK, or are offered well-paid jobs in Poland," said Andrzej Rynkovski, a market research analyst in Warsaw who returned two months ago. Rynkovski, who has a finance degree from the Warsaw School of Economics, spent three "enjoyable" years in England working for AC Nielsen, a market research company, mostly at Tesco's headquarters in Cheshunt, Herts.

"I doubled my pay when I moved to England," he said. "But the pound has fallen from seven zlotys to four, so it's not so good if you want to send money back."

The Polish economy has performed well since it joined the EU, helped by billions of pounds in grants for roads and other infrastructure projects. The credit crunch has not had the same impact as in Britain. Unemployment has fallen to six per cent while many hotel and catering staff and construction workers are returning as Poland prepares to host the 2012 European football championships. At a modern hotel in Poznan, the 35-year-old manager gazed out the window towards the old quarter of Poland's fifth largest city.

"Going to England was the best decision of my life," said Marcin Wozniak. "I worked my way up and the opportunities were there. But when I felt my career had reached a plateau, it was time to come back."

Thousands like Wozniak sense that Poland offers better opportunities than Britain where unemployment is rising, wages fall and there is growing resentment against foreign workers.

Salaries in Poland have risen by up to 15 per cent in the last year and companies are contacting Polish workers in Britain to offer them well-paid jobs. However, there are concerns Poland will not be immune from the credit crunch. Prime Minister Donald Tusk gave warning recently that 2009 would be tough. But money was not the motivator for all Poles who returned home. Mirek Szubzda, 40, spent two years in North Harrow, London. But he missed his family and decided it was time to go home just over a year ago. He earns much less now but he is happy. "Money cannot buy you everything".

- The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2009