At the other end of the spectrum, only 14% of Poles studying abroad intend to stay there.
The study was conducted by the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) Foundation, which has since 2015 been helping Polish students and graduates of foreign universities develop their careers and acquire professional skills in their home country.
A diploma from a foreign university is considered a strong asset in the Polish job market, which was the reason for wanting to return given by 53% of those surveyed.
Poland, along with the Czech Republic, boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the European Union.
Alina Bączar, vice president of the WSE Foundation, said that many students see prospects for building a successful career in Poland.
“Mostly these are people who went abroad with specific plans—they consciously chose foreign universities and majors, wanting to gain specific competencies, and they know how they can use them in Poland,” Bączar said.
“Poland continues to be an attractive destination for the world's largest companies, which are moving their businesses here and creating more jobs. Poles studying abroad realize that their career opportunities are often incomparably better in the country than in the West, where labor markets are much more saturated,” she added.
Around one in five respondents (21%) said they intended to set up their own business in Poland. However, more than four in ten of this group plan to first gain experience by working abroad for at least a year.
Career opportunities are not the sole motivational factor, as nearly one in four of those surveyed who plan to return to their home country cited a desire to be closer to their family.
Furthermore, of those who want to return, almost one in three cite better living conditions in Poland, including easier access to various services. Additionally, 30% are motivated to head back home by the lower cost of living compared to the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Professionals and managers returning after working abroad also point out that salaries in Poland, which often already match Western rates, provide a higher standard of living in the country than in richer nations, mainly due to still much lower housing prices.
The study was conducted by the WSE Foundation among the winners of its
Go4Poland program.
The WSE Foundation aims to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills in investment, saving, personal finance and entrepreneurship.
