5:14 23 April 2026
Rising labor costs
Poland’s labour market is becoming more expensive, pushing companies to rethink hiring models. Data from Statistics Poland shows employment costs rose 7.7% year-on-year in Q4 2025 and 5% versus early 2025, lifting the employment cost index to 170.6.
The highest readings were in healthcare and social care (192.0), transport and storage (190.0), support services (180.7), culture and recreation (179.6), and public administration (179.2). Poland now ranks among the EU’s highest-cost labour markets, above countries such as Italy, France and Spain
Rising wage pressure is driving firms to adopt mixed staffing structures that combine permanent employees with temporary workers, especially in manufacturing, trade, logistics and FMCG.
Recruitment is also accelerating. Around 36% of vacancies now cover temporary or contract roles, while 34% of job postings seek immediate hires, signalling faster personnel decisions as employers respond to demand swings and tighter budgets.
