Catherwood LibraryILR School

So far this decade, about two million Poles have left their home country. Working as bartenders in Britain, builders in Ireland, cleaners in Germany and in other often menial jobs, young Poles, many from the country?s impoverished east, earned euros and pounds that they sent back to Poland or squirreled away. Meanwhile, the Polish economy, racing to catch up with Western living standards, has driven unemployment down sharply in the past few years. And the zloty has risen against the pound and the euro, dampening the appeal of working abroad. Driven by economic necessity, the Polish government is beginning a major effort to pave the way for migrants to return. It has sponsored advertising campaigns abroad and set up Internet-based job banks.