Explaining variation in settlement process: Ukrainians and Vietnamese in Poland

Agata A Górny, University of Warsaw
Ewa E Kępińska, University of Warsaw

The subject of this paper is patterns of settlement migration in Poland. In particular, we are interested in modes of economic activity and degree of integration of migrants in the receiving country. We focus on two groups of migrants - Ukrainians and Vietnamese - because they are the two largest migrant groups in Poland, and because they are the most distinct from each other along a vector of migration-related characteristics (distance from origin and language dissimilarity, to name but two). The analysis is based on data from a representative survey of Vietnamese and Ukrainian settlement migrants, carried out in 2005 by the Centre of Migration Research at Warsaw University. The survey was confined to Warsaw district because by and large it is the capital that attracts foreigners. The sampling frame for the survey was based on the permanent residence permit register, which records permanent residents staying in Poland. Patterns of settlement of Ukrainians and Vietnamese include measures of economic activity and degrees of integration. We find a significant difference between the two groups by the mode of employment: Vietnamese are largely self-employed (three fourth), and over two thirds of them engage in trade, while Ukrainians are largely employees working for others (two thirds). We argue that an explanation for the observed difference (co-)rests with the process of migration itself and with the structure of migrants’ families. Contributing factors include the pattern and timing of marriage, language proficiency, and gender differences.