Just before the UK was due to exit the European Union, thousands of foreign workers were considering leaving the country because of possible legal changes to the labor market there. Meanwhile, more than one million Polish workers, working in Great Britain, have been invited to return home by the Polish government due to a labor shortage. The need is so strong, in fact, that millions of Ukrainians are filling the void. CGTN's Aljosa Milenkovic has more.

These days the Polish capital resembles one huge construction site. Thousands of workers are building new flats and new glass high rises in the town's expanding business district.

ALJOSA MILENKOVIC WARSAW "Just in this area, close to my hotel, I've counted twelve cranes and two concrete pumps on four construction sites. And, all of this is located in a radius of just a few hundred meters."

It's a clear sign of the state of the Polish economy, which in 2018 grew by almost 5%. In comparison, the German economy in the same period grew by just over 2%. But, the booming economy needs an abundance of preferably cheap labour. At this moment, that's something Poland is lacking, because over two million of the country's skilled labour force has used the EU's free labour market policies and left the country for better wages abroad. Now, they are being replaced by Ukrainians.

VLADYSLAV KAGARLYKSKYI EMPLOYMENT AGENCY SANTINA "Ukrainians are coming here because Poland is open to issuing work visas. Other EU countries are doing that as well, but Poland is more open for Ukrainian workers than others. Also, for Ukrainians, it's much easier here because the Ukrainian language is very similar to Polish."

According to official data, 1.3 million Ukrainians are working legally in the country. Twenty-six-year-old Nazar is one of them. For the last six months, he's been driving an Uber around Warsaw, which he sees as his second home now.

NAZAR BORYS UKRAINIAN WORKER IN POLAND "I'm developing as a person here, as a person who wants to achieve something. That's one of the reasons, but also because Poland and Ukraine are so similar, we're Slavs: Ukraine, Belarus, Russia – we're all Slavs and it makes us more similar. I don't need to go to Germany for instance."

Like many of his fellow citizens that have arrived here, Nazar would like to stay in Poland permanently. And, Poland's economic growth might be just the ticket for that.

LECH ANTKOWIAK ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, WARSAW LABOR OFFICE "The economy is growing very fast and we don't have enough hands to work. At the same time, there are welfare programs implemented in Poland that allow many that can afford not to work: they are bringing up children, or are disabled, along with other categories. As a result, the demand for workers is growing."

While Poles abroad decide whether to accept politicians calls to return back home, Ukrainians are happy to satisfy that demand. Aljosa Milenkovic, CGTN, Warsaw.