The Experiences of Polish Migrants in the Welsh Labour Market: A comparison study of three case studies in South Wales

Since Poland joined the EU in 2004 there has been a significant amount of case study research focusing on the impact of this large migrant group on the UK economy. However, there has been less comparative research completed, particularly when the comparison is of Polish migrant samples across different spaces. Using qualitative data collected in three case study locations – urban, peri-urban and rural- in the South Wales region, this article has two main aims. First, given the proximity of the case study locations, the article highlights the diversity of the Polish migrant characteristics through the samples used. Second, it compares the variations amongst the labour market trajectories of the Polish migrants in each sample. Through trajectories created from the data, the findings from this article point to the English language development of the migrants as the catalyst for progression in the Welsh labour market across all three cases.