19:27 4 August 2026
Recruitment of manual workers nets 62 applicants per vacancy, few show up for work
Recruitment for manual jobs in Poland faces a paradox: employers receive many applications, but few candidates ultimately start work. LeasingTeam Group analyzed 24,032 applications in the first half of 2026 and found an average of 62 applicants per vacancy. However, 43% did not answer recruiters’ calls, more than one-fifth withdrew during interviews, and 30% of accepted candidates never began work. Pay, location, commuting time, shift patterns and workplace atmosphere are the main factors influencing decisions.
Warehouses and factories attract the most applicants, while qualified welders, electricians, drivers and construction workers remain scarce. Foreign workers, now numbering 1.2 mln in Poland, increasingly fill labor shortages. Employers should therefore measure recruitment success by actual job starts, not application volumes.
