The level and pace of wage growth in Poland’s industrial sector vary significantly across industries and job types. According to Grafton Recruitment’s Industrial Sector Salary Report 2025, the most attractive salaries and pay raises are currently offered by distribution centers, as well as pharmaceutical, chemical, and FMCG companies, while slower growth is visible in construction and research and development (R&D). For employees, salary is no longer the only priority — job stability, professional development, and workplace atmosphere are increasingly important.
Wide Wage Disparities: Logistics Gains, R&D Lags Behind
Wages in the industrial sector remain highly diverse, reflecting differences in industry profitability, demand dynamics, workforce availability, and regional disparities.
“Profitability and financial discipline play a major role in wage planning. High operating costs and a persistently negative business sentiment in manufacturing are forcing companies to plan salary increases cautiously and introduce flexible incentive systems,”
says Danuta Protasewicz, Regional Manager at Grafton Recruitment.
The fastest wage growth was recorded in distribution centers — an average of 10% year-on-year — driven by strong demand for logistics and supply chain specialists. A distribution center director can earn up to PLN 30,000 gross in Mazowieckie, PLN 28,000 in Śląskie and Wielkopolskie. Logistics managers earn PLN 15,000–23,000, with the highest salaries in Mazowieckie and the lowest in Łódzkie. Supply chain managers can earn up to PLN 25,000, while shift leaders earn up to PLN 10,000 in Mazowieckie.
Pharma, Chemicals, and FMCG Offer Strong Pay Rises
The pharmaceutical, chemical, and FMCG industries also reported notable wage increases — averaging 9%. Growing pay levels are linked to innovation, automation, and health-focused investments.
In Mazowieckie, production managers in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors earn PLN 14,000–22,000, compared with PLN 10,000–15,000 in Kujawsko-Pomorskie.
Maintenance managers earn PLN 16,000–22,000 in Mazowieckie but up to PLN 6,000 less in Łódzkie. Laboratory managers receive up to PLN 18,000 in Mazowieckie and up to PLN 14,000 in Kujawsko-Pomorskie.
In the FMCG sector, regional differences also matter. Plant directors earn up to PLN 38,000 in Mazowieckie but only PLN 29,000 in Zachodniopomorskie. In some roles, however, Mazowieckie no longer leads — for example, maintenance engineers earn up to PLN 13,000 in Dolnośląskie and Śląskie, compared to PLN 12,000 in Mazowieckie. Chief technologists earn the most in Małopolskie (PLN 11,500–19,000), followed by Mazowieckie (up to PLN 16,000) and Dolnośląskie or Wielkopolskie (up to PLN 15,000).
Automotive and Machinery Under Competitive Pressure
The automotive and machinery industries are facing strong competition and the impact of global market shifts, particularly China’s dominance in electromobility. Some manufacturers are relocating production to Turkey or Romania to cut costs.
Despite this, automotive wages rose 8% year-on-year.
A plant director earns up to PLN 40,000 in Mazowieckie, PLN 38,000 in Śląskie and Wielkopolskie. Production managers earn PLN 11,000–22,000, while maintenance engineers earn PLN 8,000–14,000 (highest in Śląskie). Maintenance technicians receive PLN 6,500–10,000, with top rates in Pomorskie and Mazowieckie. Welders and electricians can earn up to PLN 10,000, while unskilled workers earn up to PLN 6,000.
Back Office and Management: Retaining Key Specialists
In the back-office segment, wages grew around 8%, driven by companies’ efforts to retain experienced specialists.
CFOs earn up to PLN 40,000 in Śląskie — the highest nationwide. Financial controllers and chief accountants earn up to PLN 26,000, while controlling specialists make PLN 7,500–15,000.
HR, marketing, and IT directors earn around PLN 30,000, while sales directors can reach PLN 35,000 in Mazowieckie.
HR specialists earn up to PLN 10,000, marketing specialists up to PLN 12,000, and software developers up to PLN 23,000.
Construction Sector Sees Modest Growth
Wage growth in construction was much slower — averaging 4%. The best-paid positions are managerial and planning roles:
Contract directors earn PLN 28,000–33,000, project managers PLN 18,000–25,000, and site managers up to PLN 20,000.
BIM coordinators earn PLN 15,000–25,000, and planners PLN 14,000–25,000.
R&D Wages Stagnate
In R&D centers, wages rose only 3%, confirming a slowdown linked to reduced investments in 2024–2025.
R&D directors earn PLN 30,000–55,000, mechanical engineers PLN 12,000–18,000, embedded C/C++ developers PLN 13,000–23,000, and software testers PLN 13,000–18,000.
Design managers earn PLN 22,000–30,000, electronics team leaders PLN 18,000–25,000, and software team leaders PLN 19,000–25,000. Electronics engineers earn PLN 13,000–17,000.
“Salary levels reflect companies’ condition amid market uncertainty, fluctuating demand, and rising costs. Wages vary widely between industrial sectors — logistics and automotive behave very differently from R&D,”
explains Monika Piądło, Regional Manager at Grafton Recruitment.
Employee Expectations vs. Reality
The report shows a gap between pay expectations and actual increases.
- 67% of surveyed employees expect a raise of over 15%.
- 33% expect 11–15%.
- None found a 5–10% increase satisfactory.
In reality, salaries for 66% of industrial employees increased, 29% remained unchanged, and 5% decreased.
Among those who received raises, 27% got up to 5%, 14% saw 6–10%, and 25% received increases above 10%.
Most industrial companies kept wage growth limited to 5% annually, following a cost-control strategy. Only 4% of Polish and 2% of foreign-owned companies granted raises above 10%.
“The gap between employee expectations and company practices is natural. Still, salary policies strongly influence workplace satisfaction and retention, while employers must balance costs and stability,”
notes Danuta Protasewicz of Grafton Recruitment.
Growing Willingness to Change Jobs
Nearly half of industrial employees (48%) are now actively seeking new jobs, up from 38% in 2023. While many aim for better pay or career prospects, a rising share are forced to look due to layoffs or instability, especially among specialists and managers.
In 2023, job changes were mainly driven by pay (19%), poor atmosphere (16%), or lack of promotion prospects. Now, concerns about job security (13%), unemployment (12%), and burnout (10%) are increasingly cited.
What Matters Most to Employees
The most important satisfaction factor remains salary (72%), followed by workplace atmosphere and job stability (both 48%).
44% value career development, 25% enjoy interesting projects, and 19% appreciate strong company management.
Only 14% care about remote work, 10% about management style, and 5% about benefits packages.
Blue-Collar Workers Feel More Secure Than Managers
The 2025 data reveal growing unease among white-collar and managerial staff — with 30% fearing for their jobs, up from 19% in 2023.
- 62% of blue-collar workers see no change in their work environment, and 21% note company growth.
- Among managers, 30% fear layoffs, while 42% see no change.
- For specialists, 36% report job insecurity.
“Job stability is increasingly uneven. Physical workers feel safer, while risk concentrates among highly skilled professionals. Global competition and digitalization are likely to deepen these disparities,”
says Agnieszka Żak, Regional Director at Gi Group.
The rising emphasis on employment stability shows that workers now expect not only good pay, but also predictability and trust — a signal that long-term HR strategies must focus on building relationships and loyalty.
About the Report
The Industrial Sector Salary Report 2025 is the eighth annual edition prepared by Grafton Recruitment in cooperation with Gi Group. Conducted in Q2 2025, it analyzes 8,228 candidate profiles and salary data from 154 industrial firms, covering over 200 job positions across pharma, automotive, chemicals, FMCG, R&D, construction, and logistics. The study also includes new roles related to automation, robotics, and ESG, along with commentary from experts and employee surveys.
Source: CEO.com.pl – Industrial Wages 2025: Where You’ll Earn the Most
