Increasing numbers of Polish professionals, and not just low wage workers, are moving to the UK according to research from recruiter Joslin Rowe.

It found that the number of Polish accountants registering for work has risen sixfold since 2003, the last full year before Poland joined the European Union in May 2004.

In the first two years of Poland’s EU membership, 270,000 Poles registered to work in the UK, although many more have arrived without registering. About 60,000 registered in London. Joslin Rowe’s figures show that 3,425 of these were accountants, 5.7% of the total. Scotland has been slower to pick up on the trend. Just 1.3% of the 32,000 Polish arrivals North of the Border are accountants, although the numbers are accelerating.

Tara Ricks (pictured), managing director of Joslin Rowe, says: “There is a chronic shortage of qualified accountants in the UK. British firms are crying out for staff. The introduction of International Accounting Standards, an increasing burden of regulation, and a rising emphasis on corporate governance have boosted demand dramatically and pushed salaries up accordingly. We simply don’t have enough home grown accountants to fill the void and this is creating opportunities for those from overseas.”

Joslin Rowe has seen a similar pattern in Dublin. New Polish accountants registering in Ireland have risen 190% compared with 2005 and from almost a standing start in 2004.