The beginning of 2026 brought a cooling of Kraków’s labour market. Data for March confirm a decline in employment and an increase in the number of unemployed people, although wage growth remains positive. While Kraków still compares favourably with the rest of Poland, it is no longer an enclave fully immune to the effects of a slowing economy.
Employment in the enterprise sector declined
In March 2026, average employment in Kraków’s enterprise sector stood at 244,800 full-time equivalent jobs. This was 1,000 fewer than in February, a decline of 0.4%, and 3,600 fewer than a year earlier. Year on year, this represents a decrease of 1.4%.
This is an important signal because the enterprise sector includes companies employing more than nine people, and therefore covers a large part of the organised labour market. The fall in employment does not yet indicate a sharp crisis, but it shows that some employers are becoming more cautious about new recruitment or are reducing headcount after a period of rising costs.
On a monthly basis, the largest decline in employment was recorded in construction, where the number of jobs fell by 2.7%. Decreases were also seen in culture, entertainment and recreation, information and communication, transport and storage, accommodation and food services, trade, and industry. Employment increased in professional, scientific and technical activities, as well as in administration and support services.
Compared with March 2025, employment fell particularly sharply in professional, scientific and technical activities, by as much as 15.0%. Declines were also recorded in transport and storage, information and communication, and trade. This is significant because Kraków has long been associated with the rapid development of business services, IT, competence centres and the professional services sector. The latest data suggest that some of these industries are now going through a period of adjustment.
Unemployment is rising, although it remains low
At the end of March 2026, 14,446 unemployed people were registered in Kraków. This was 210 more than a month earlier and as many as 2,782 more than a year earlier. The annual increase was 23.9%, showing that the number of people out of work is rising faster than would be explained by seasonal factors alone.
Despite this, the registered unemployment rate in Kraków remains low. In March it stood at 2.7%, the same as in February, but higher than a year earlier, when it was 2.2%. By comparison, the unemployment rate was 5.1% in the Małopolskie Voivodeship and 6.1% nationwide. Kraków therefore still performs very well compared with both the region and Poland as a whole, although the direction of change is less optimistic than it was a year earlier.
Among the registered unemployed were 6,828 women, representing 47.3% of all unemployed people. The number of unemployed women increased both compared with February and compared with March of the previous year. Over the year, it rose by 1,180 people, or 20.9%.
Fewer job offers than a year earlier
In March 2026, 955 job offers were submitted to labour offices in Kraków. This was more than in January and February 2026, but far fewer than in many months of 2025. For comparison, in March 2025, 2,182 job offers were reported. This means that formal demand for workers, measured by the number of vacancies submitted to labour offices, was significantly weaker than a year earlier.
At the end of March, there were nine registered unemployed people per job offer in Kraków. A month earlier, the figure was 10, so the situation improved slightly. However, at the beginning of 2026 the indicator was clearly higher than through most of 2025. In January 2026, there were 13 people per job offer, while in 2025 the figure most often ranged between five and eight.
This shows that the Kraków labour market has become less absorbent. Workers still remain in a relatively good position compared with many other cities, but the period in which finding employment was very easy in some industries may already be over.
Wages are still rising
At the same time, wage data show that pay pressure has not disappeared. The average monthly gross wage in Kraków’s enterprise sector reached PLN 13,442.46 in March 2026. This was 15.5% higher than in February and 5.8% higher than in March 2025.
Such a high monthly increase may have resulted, among other things, from the payment of bonuses, awards, periodic allowances or seasonal shifts in the wage structure. From the perspective of the longer-term trend, the annual increase is more important, and that stood at 5.8%. This means that despite falling employment, average wages are still rising.
Year on year, wages increased in most of the analysed sectors. The largest increases were recorded in real estate services, transport and storage, culture, entertainment and recreation, administration and support services, and accommodation and food services. A decline in average wages was recorded in professional, scientific and technical activities, where pay was 3.1% lower than a year earlier.
This is particularly interesting in the context of the employment decline in the same section. It may indicate a change in the employment structure, the reduction of some positions, cost pressure or shifts in working models in the professional services sector.
Kraków still has high wages compared with other cities
Compared with Poland’s largest cities, Kraków remains one of the labour markets with the highest average wages. The gross wage in the enterprise sector in March reached PLN 13,442.46, more than in Warsaw, where the average wage stood at PLN 12,410.85, and also more than in Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk or Katowice.
However, it should be remembered that the average wage does not show the full picture of residents’ incomes. The figure may be pushed up by high salaries in sectors such as IT, business services, finance, advanced industry or managerial positions. For many employees, actual pay may be significantly below the average.
The number of companies is growing, but this does not automatically translate into jobs
An interesting element of the Statistics Poland data is the growing number of entities in the national economy. At the end of March 2026, 196,087 entities were registered in Kraków’s REGON register, 8,611 more than a year earlier. This represents an increase of 4.6% year on year.
The largest number of companies operated in professional, scientific and technical activities, trade, and information and communication. The increase in the number of entities may reflect the city’s entrepreneurial activity, but it does not necessarily mean a proportional increase in the number of jobs. Some new businesses are sole proprietorships, micro-enterprises or project-based entities. In March 2026, 1,675 new entities were registered, including 1,251 sole proprietors.
At the same time, 26,557 entities had suspended operations, the vast majority of them sole proprietorships. This shows that behind the entrepreneurship statistics there is also considerable turnover and uncertainty, especially among the smallest businesses.
Construction and industry may stabilise the market
Although employment declined across the enterprise sector as a whole, some data on Kraków’s economy are positive. Construction and assembly output in March 2026 increased by 60.8% year on year, while sold industrial output at constant prices was 16.6% higher than a year earlier. This may indicate that part of real economic activity remains strong, even if companies are not increasing employment as quickly as before.
In industry, employment increased by 7.0% year on year, while in construction it rose by 1.5%. This contrasts with declines in professional services, transport, information and communication, and trade. Kraków’s labour market is therefore becoming more diversified: some sectors continue to increase activity, while others are reducing employment or undergoing restructuring.
Kraków’s labour market after the boom
The March 2026 data suggest that Kraków’s labour market is coming out of a period of very strong expansion. There is no sign of a sudden collapse, but there is a visible correction. Employment in the enterprise sector is lower than a year earlier, the number of registered unemployed is rising, and the number of job offers submitted to labour offices is lower than in 2025.
At the same time, Kraków still retains the characteristics of a strong economic centre: it has a low unemployment rate, high wages, a growing number of companies and a significant role in the Małopolskie economy. The current situation does not resemble a crisis, but rather a shift from a very dynamic labour market to one that is more demanding and selective.
The coming months will show whether the March data represent only a temporary correction or the beginning of a longer trend. The key questions will be whether the decline in employment stops in the following months, whether the number of job offers starts to rise again, and whether wage growth can continue without further reductions in headcount. For now, Kraków remains one of the strongest labour markets in Poland, but it is no longer immune to all signs of an economic slowdown.
Source of data: Statistics Poland, “Statistics of Kraków 3/2026”, Statistical Office in Kraków.
