Minimum wage increase could cost employers zł.877m

The total amount might differ depending on whether one takes into account official statistics, according to which 181,000 employees receive the lowest remuneration, while trade unions estimate this figure at 350,000. Rzeczpospolita used the latter figure. Employers associations warn that a sudden increase in a minimum wage might be disastrous for micro-companies operating in rural areas, which employ a total of 200,000 persons. "Based on the experience of other countries, increasing the minimum wage by 10% could boost the unemployment rate by 4%," said the Confederation of Polish Employers' (KPP) Adam Ambroziak. Others believe that wages should be increased, but at the same time fiscal burden for employers should be lowered. The trade unions do not conceal the fact that they want a further, continuous increase in the level of minimum wage up to 50% of the average salary in the country.