The arrival of 200,000 Poles here has led to new business opportunities, writes Gabrielle Monaghan

Good news for employers relying on the hard work of Poles living in Ireland - a new survey has found many of them plan to stay for good.

Half of the Poles questioned by Warsaw-based agency Kinoulty Research would like to live in Ireland as long as possible, while 18 per cent want to stay here permanently. Barely one-third treat their stay in Ireland as temporary, according to the research company, which interviewed 109 Poles living here.

Since the EU expanded in 2004 to include Poland and nine other countries, almost 200,000 Poles have moved here.

They now constitute about 8 per cent of the workforce and are the biggest group of immigrants representing one country. About 47 per cent of all immigrants from the accession states are Polish.

Kinoulty Research described the Poles it interviewed as "eminently employable", as 57 per cent of them are under-25 and 34 per cent have higher education. However, many Poles are over-qualified for their Irish jobs.

More than half are employed in manual labour and 20 per cent work in an office. As a result, their pay is often lower than that of the average Irish worker.

The largest group, accounting for 36 per cent of respondents, receive a net salary of between €1,500 and €2,000 a month, while 30 per cent earn €1,000-€1,500. The average Irish monthly salary is just under €2,000.

The determination of many Poles to continue living in Ireland doesn't just benefit employers, the agency pointed out.

It is also creating a new market for companies operating in banking, telecommunications, retail and insurance, among other sectors.

"Many of these immigrants are young and will be first-time buyers, so they will need advice and information to guide their decisions," says Dominic Kinoulty, chairman of the research company. "Understanding their needs and desires will be key to converting these customers."

In the past year, banks including AIB and Permanent TSB published Polish guides to key products on their websites and in their branches. Bank of Ireland launched a Polish-language telephone helpdesk and Permanent TSB began a recruitment drive for Polish speakers to operate its call centres.

Although 89 per cent of the Poles interviewed by Kinoulty have an Irish bank account, very few have a savings account or have taken out a loan here. Two-thirds send money back to Poland, yet just 46 per cent use a bank account to do so, preferring specialist transfer companies such as Western Union or the post office. One-quarter bring the money home themselves or give it to friends visiting Poland.

Kinoulty says that the Polish population's ability to integrate well into Irish society should not lead marketing strategists to assume Poles can be treated the same way as Irish consumers.

"While the majority may speak and read English, they are much more comfortable with communication in Polish and respond well to companies that take the trouble to reach out to this important and sizable new group of consumers," he says.

Kinoulty, who is of Irish origin, is setting up a branch of his research agency in Ireland. He aims to help companies here find out more about Polish consumers and discover the habits that differentiate Polish consumers from Irish consumers.

The company's international clients include Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Danone.

One opportunity for manufacturers, importers and food companies in this new market is the Poles' craving for native products.Almost one-quarter of the products consumed by Ireland's largest group of immigrants have Polish brands or come from Poland. Kinoulty Research recommended that Irish retailers stock products such as Polish chocolate and sweets, as almost 20 per cent of respondents missed these products. They would also like to see more Polish cold meats, dairy and bread on supermarket shelves.

Poles almost "hunt" for Polish products in Ireland, according to the research agency, citing the fact that as many as 52 per cent of Poles buy native products in shops other than the shops where they do most of their shopping.

"Poles' product patriotism is very strong - only the French pay more attention to national products," says Roman Baszun, director of Kinoulty's trade research department.

"While Poles are clearly very happy in Ireland, it is the nostalgia for traditional and familiar foodstuffs that builds a trading link between the countries."

While the majority of Polish products are reasonably priced, others such as vodka are classified as premium products, which can frustrate Polish consumers here. "Polish vodka is the most expensive there is," one consumer told Kinoulty. "I cried, but I paid for it. Why should I drink any other vodka?"

The rising number of Poles living in Ireland has also created opportunities for the travel industry, especially for airlines such as Ryanair, which has added more routes and increased the frequency of flights to Polish cities.

The competition among budget airlines offering cheap flights between Ireland and Poland has meant that 98 per cent of Poles travel home by aircraft. The majority of them visit Poland about three times a year, with 11 per cent returning home five to six times a year.

However, Poles don't just travel to visit relatives and friends back home - 51 per cent of them regularly travel around Ireland.