ECONOMY

Debt owed by Poland’s HoReCa and tourism businesses has risen to PLN 526.9 million. Restaurants and food-service outlets account for almost 65% of the total, while average arrears per debtor continue to increase.

Poland’s minimum wage will rise to PLN 4,950 gross from January 2027. For employers, the direct increase may be only the first part of the bill, as companies may also need to restore pay gaps for more experienced and skilled workers.

Central and Eastern European economies are particularly exposed to swings in electricity, gas and oil prices. Researchers say the main effects are long-term and structural rather than immediate changes in GDP growth.

Average monthly gross pay for specialists and managers in Poland has risen to PLN 16,400. AI, cybersecurity, data and energy-transition skills are commanding the strongest premiums.

Polish households spent PLN 140.2 billion on FMCG products in the first half of 2026. Market value was broadly stable, while purchase volumes fell 3.7% and consumers shifted toward promotions and private labels.

Poland spent PLN 757.2 billion on social protection benefits in 2023, 18.6% more than a year earlier. Old-age and healthcare-related benefits accounted for the largest shares.

At the end of March 2026, 1.477 million people in Poland worked exclusively under mandate contracts and related civil-law agreements, up by 82,000 year on year. Foreigners accounted for almost 30% of this group.

Poland’s rural areas continue to lose population despite a positive migration balance. Experts warn that new spatial-planning rules may unintentionally make it harder for young people to return to villages, build homes near their families and expand farms.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine cost the Polish economy an estimated PLN 490.1 billion in lost GDP between 2022 and 2025, according to preliminary calculations by Statistics Poland. Households bore the largest share of the economic loss, at PLN 292.1 billion.

Poland’s Monetary Policy Council left rates unchanged. Higher inflation, oil and fuel prices have reduced expectations for another near-term cut.

Poland’s cultural institutions generated PLN 9.64 billion in revenue in H1 2026, up 8.3%. Costs rose 9% to PLN 8.92 billion, limiting growth in net results.

Artificial intelligence and Poland’s KSeF e-invoicing system could sharply reduce the cost of routine accounting work. The likely result is not the disappearance of accountants, but pressure on prices, margins and business models as automated firms gain scale.

Szczecin, Rzeszów and Białystok top the ‘Beyond the Hubs’ ranking of medium-sized Polish cities with the strongest potential for logistics, warehousing and manufacturing. The study shows that regional locations are increasingly becoming strategic choices in their own right rather than simply alternatives to Poland’s largest logistics hubs.

More than 12,000 consumer bankruptcies were declared in Poland in the first half of 2026, raising questions about household financial resilience. The number was...