HAMBURG – Poland is in talks with the Philippines to bring in more Filipino workers to fill a labor shortage even as Warsaw continues to resist refugees and migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.
The Czech Republic and Germany are also trying to attract workers from the Philippines and other Asian countries to fill local positions, as their labor markets face aging populations, a brain drain and lower birthrates.
Analysts say that Slovakia, Hungary and Romania will also be forced to open their doors to Asian workers as their labor supply from traditional sources such as Ukraine and Serbia dries up due to emigration.
But the Polish move has raised eyebrows within the European Union, of which it is a member.
The Polish government has fought Brussels’ plans to make bloc members accept more refugees and migrants that have arrived at the continent, having traveled over the Mediterranean Sea and through the Balkan corridors.