Dimitris Tsikas, who works in the IT sector and left Greece during the years of the financial crisis—first moving to Iceland and later to Poland—spoke on Voice of Greece and the program “Our Global Voice” with Dimitris Kontogiannis. He noted that dozens of Greeks are now heading to this Central European country for work, in contrast to the 1990s and early 2000s, when Poles used to migrate to Greece.
Mr. Tsikas pointed out that many Greek police officers resign from their posts in Greece to work for Frontex, headquartered in Poland, where they earn multiple times their previous salaries. Others, particularly younger people, find employment in IT and other sectors, as jobs are available. He also emphasized that Poland is a very safe country: women feel comfortable walking alone at night on dark streets, and children play by themselves in the squares without fear.
Poles, he added, are a religious people—mainly Catholic, though there are also Orthodox communities, especially near the borders with Ukraine and Belarus. They are also patriotic and loyal to traditional values. What particularly struck Mr. Tsikas, even back when he lived in Iceland, was that low-income Poles would still choose to buy Polish products—often more expensive—over foreign ones. Overall, he estimates that staple food products in Polish supermarkets are 20–30% cheaper than in Greece.
On the other hand, like many other European countries, Poland faces a housing problem: rents and home prices have risen significantly. He also noted that many Poles, like others in Central and Eastern Europe, drink heavily.