Poles resumed their emigration to the west in 2011, with 60, 000 departures to bring the total of Poles living abroad to 2.06 million, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) data shows.

Great Britain, Germany and Norway saw some of the largest increases in inflows of Poles in 2011.

The shape of emigration may differ from that seen previously as highly qualified workers are now leaving, experts say.

Given the wage discrepancy, experts say there is little chance of repatriation.