According to the latest data from the Central Statistical Office, salaries in the corporate sector have risen again and on average are approaching the psychological barrier of over 8,000 zlotys gross per month. Labour market experts admit that this is good news, as businesses are actively responding to the situation in the labour market, but they also express concern. Hanna Mojsiuk, President of the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin, says that if the minimum wage continues to rise sharply, businesses may not be able to afford to raise wages.
Based on the latest information from the Central Statistical Office:
- Company sector wages in Poland currently stand at 7,978 zlotys gross.
- That’s a rise of almost 13% year on year, and about 3% month on month.
- The IT sector remains the highest-paid sector, followed by transport and construction.
- Labour market experts affirm that hiring is also ongoing in the Transport, Shipping and Logistics, and warehouse sectors, and in the trades. There’s an ongoing demand for accountants, too.
- They also believe there’s a chance that unemployment could rise slightly.
The rise in pay and wages is keenly felt by the labour market and employers.
Marta Cichecka, Recruitment manager at LSJ HR Group, says that wages are rising fastest in the fields of accounting and finance, and in engineering roles, especially those tied to production. Wages for sales staff and people in the services industry have also improved. The least movement is in sectors where fortunes have been less favourable, including logistics and e-commerce. The IT sector is also seeing a slowdown in wage growth.
Cichecka adds that we don’t currently have a job market favouring either employees or employers; instead, we have a skills market. Many firms are holding back on mass recruitment, but they’re still keen to hire people with the knowledge they need. People with the right specialised skills, and foreign language proficiency, are receiving the most offers and seeing the fastest wage growth.
But how does the rise in the minimum wage affect private sector wages?
Dorota Siedziniewska-Brzeźniak, an employment market expert at IDEA HR Group, says the private sector tends to follow the public sector’s lead. The 2024 increase from 3,600 to 4,242 zlotys gross is noticeable. Salaries in the commercial sector grew more slowly in January, but caught up in February.
Labour market experts don’t expect unemployment to rise in the coming months, but they say that the pace of recruiting could change. Siedziniewska-Brzeźniak says this may be a temporary lull for the golden era in the IT sector. Recruitment is also slowing in services, but this depends on the region and often on the season. Logistic centres are still keen to recruit, but there’s an increasing imbalance in the numbers of Polish and Ukrainian employees. Recruitment is also down in the transport sector.
