Outsourcing was supposed to relieve pressure on companies, but the sector itself is struggling under the weight of unpaid liabilities.
Cleaning and security companies, office support providers, call centres and employment agencies have accumulated nearly PLN 238 million in overdue debt recorded in Poland’s National Debt Register, or KRD. This is PLN 3.6 million more than a year earlier.
Almost 8,000 such businesses are listed in the register, an increase of more than 200. Although the average debt has declined slightly from PLN 30,300 to PLN 30,000, a longer-term comparison shows that the sector’s total overdue liabilities have increased by one-third in just three years.
Outsourcing involves more than transferring certain responsibilities to external providers. For companies, it can also reduce fixed costs, improve operational efficiency, limit everyday administrative burdens and allow management to focus on the core business.
The outsourcing sector comprises companies providing services essential to the operation of other businesses and institutions. They maintain cleanliness, provide administrative office support, protect premises, supply permanent and temporary employees and operate call centres.
These services form the largely invisible infrastructure supporting business activity. When everything functions properly, they attract little attention. When payment delays occur, however, the consequences can quickly spread beyond a single company.
“In outsourcing, costs arise before the client’s payment arrives. A cleaning company must purchase cleaning products and provide workers, a security firm must staff its posts, an employment agency must pay employees, and a call centre must maintain its team and systems,” said Adam Łącki, President of the Management Board of the National Debt Register Economic Information Bureau.
“These are different services, but they share two important features: a high proportion of labour costs and the need to operate continuously. Even a short payment delay can therefore quickly undermine liquidity and result in overdue liabilities to other contractors.
“Outsourcing is so deeply integrated into companies’ everyday operations that the problems of one business can rapidly spread to others.”
Fragmented market and accumulating liabilities
The sector’s total debt amounts to PLN 237.9 million and is owed by 7,900 companies.
KRD data show increases in both categories. Over the past 12 months, overdue liabilities rose by PLN 3.6 million, while the number of debtors increased by 209.
A longer-term analysis reveals a considerably greater deterioration. Three years ago, the outsourcing industry’s unpaid liabilities were almost PLN 61 million lower, at PLN 176.9 million.
The number of debtors was also 795 lower, at approximately 7,100 companies. Average debt stood at “only” PLN 24,800, which was PLN 5,200 less than today.
The latest payment reliability assessment conducted by KRD shows that most outsourcing companies continue to fall within the highest reliability categories of A, B or C. However, their share declined from 88% to 84% over the past 12 months.
At the same time, the number of businesses with lower ratings increased. Companies in categories D and E now account for 9% of the sector, compared with 6% a year earlier.
A further 7% fall within the weakest categories of F, G or H, up from 6%.
This indicates that although the sector as a whole still performs relatively well, the number of companies that may struggle to settle their liabilities on time is growing.
The geographical distribution of debt broadly reflects Poland’s largest economic centres.
Companies in the Mazowieckie region have the highest level of overdue liabilities, at PLN 67.6 million. They are followed by Śląskie with PLN 27.5 million, Dolnośląskie with PLN 24.7 million, Wielkopolskie with PLN 21.9 million and Pomorskie with PLN 18.4 million.
Together, these five regions account for two-thirds of the sector’s total debt.
Poland’s outsourcing market is highly fragmented, which is also visible in the KRD data. Sole traders account for 44% of all overdue liabilities.
They have accumulated PLN 105.5 million in debt, while 3,900 such service providers are listed in the register—almost half of all indebted businesses in the sector. The average overdue amount per sole trader is PLN 27,300.
Larger companies are less numerous, but their debts are higher. KRD lists 4,100 incorporated companies with unpaid liabilities totalling PLN 132.4 million.
Their average debt amounts to PLN 32,600, approximately 20% more than in the case of sole proprietorships.
The sector owes as much as PLN 153.5 million to financial institutions, including banks, leasing companies, factoring providers and securitisation funds that purchased receivables from the original creditors.
Telecommunications, internet and television providers are waiting for PLN 18.3 million, the construction industry for PLN 8.3 million and energy companies for PLN 4.3 million.
Cleaning up the debt problem
The greatest debt burden does not fall on the sector most commonly associated with outsourcing—security—but on cleaning services.
Companies providing cleaning services, building maintenance and groundskeeping owe PLN 104.2 million. This represents 44% of the total debt recorded across the analysed outsourcing industry.
A total of 3,800 such businesses are listed in KRD.
In this segment, money often leaves a company faster than it returns. Businesses must purchase cleaning products, maintain equipment and cover fuel, machine servicing and employee wages.
The sector also faces intense price competition, particularly in public and private tenders.
For several years, the Polish Cleaning Industry Chamber has warned that excessively low rates may lead to poorer service quality, problems with compliance with labour law and instability among contractors.
Rising labour costs remain an additional burden in 2026. Since January, Poland’s minimum monthly wage has stood at PLN 4,806 gross, while the minimum hourly rate is PLN 31.40.
For companies operating on narrow margins and under previously agreed contracts, every cost increase creates an immediate need for additional financing.
The two sides of the employment agency market
Employment agencies, recruitment companies and labour providers operate in a market that is important to businesses but remains unstable.
The agencies face two conflicting realities. On the one hand, companies need flexible employment, particularly during seasonal increases in orders, when temporary replacements are required or when projects demand the rapid recruitment of specialists.
On the other hand, this model places considerable pressure on agencies’ liquidity because they must pay workers even when clients delay paying for the service.
With high staff turnover, numerous small operators and intense competition, the sector has little financial margin for error.
The risk is also reflected in the high turnover of businesses. According to the Polish HR Forum’s HR Services Market 2025 report, 8,300 employment agencies were operating at the end of 2025, representing a 3% decline compared with the previous year.
During the same period, 1,493 new agencies were registered and 1,756 were removed from the register.
KRD data show that the segment has PLN 71.2 million in overdue liabilities involving 2,100 businesses.
Average debt among these companies amounts to PLN 33,900, which is higher than the average for the outsourcing sector as a whole.
Security companies have not escaped financial arrears
The security industry does not have the highest total debt, but it illustrates how the cost of providing services is changing.
Security companies listed in KRD owe PLN 19.2 million. The register includes 690 such businesses, with an average overdue amount of PLN 27,800.
For many years, the industry was associated primarily with employees guarding buildings and other facilities.
This remains an important part of its operations. Companies must staff security posts, coordinate shifts, arrange replacements and transport, and provide uniforms.
According to the Polish Association of Security Employers, the sector employs approximately 300,000 people, meaning every increase in wages quickly affects company costs.
Security services, however, no longer rely solely on people. Technology is becoming a permanent element of the service, including AI-based monitoring, facial recognition, predictive analytics, biometrics, thermal imaging cameras and drones.
These technologies do not necessarily replace employees, but they change their roles and require new digital skills.
For businesses, this means additional expenditure on purchasing systems, maintaining them and training staff.
Companies must consequently renegotiate their contracts, but they are not always able to pass higher costs on to clients quickly.
“In service industries, payment problems very often begin with a contract that is priced too low in a highly competitive market, fails to account for rising costs or includes an excessively long payment period,” said Emanuel Nowak, an expert at factoring company NFG.
“For a time, the company continues serving the client in the hope that it will be able to recover the shortfall. However, obligations to employees, the Social Insurance Institution, suppliers and leasing companies must be paid on an ongoing basis.
“If the client also pays late, the business effectively begins financing the client’s operations with money from its own company.”
Offices and call centres caught between people and technology
The situation is somewhat different in office support services and call centres.
Like other segments, they face rising labour costs while also having to invest heavily in technology to maintain the quality and efficiency of their services.
Automation, voicebots, chatbots and customer support systems can reduce the cost of repetitive tasks, but they require investment, staff training and infrastructure maintenance.
At the same time, people remain essential in basic office services and call centres. Employees handle more complex cases, respond to unusual situations and remain responsible for the quality of customer interactions.
Wage costs and the organisation of work therefore continue to play a major role.
Companies providing administrative office services, document preparation and call centre operations owe a combined PLN 43.3 million.
A total of 1,300 debtors from this segment are listed in KRD.
When clients delay payment, these companies have less money available for modernisation while still having to maintain the service quality on which their contracts depend.
Outsourcing companies are themselves owed PLN 53 million
Outsourcing companies not only have debts of their own—they are also waiting for PLN 53 million in overdue payments from their clients.
Construction companies owe them the largest amount, at PLN 11.7 million, followed by manufacturers with PLN 10.1 million and retail and wholesale businesses with PLN 7 million.
They are followed by administrative and support service companies, which owe PLN 4.3 million, the information and communications sector with PLN 3.9 million, and transport and warehousing businesses with PLN 3.8 million.
“This shows how closely outsourcing is connected with other parts of the economy. Cleaning, security, office support and temporary staffing are services purchased by companies across many industries,” said Sandra Czerwińska, an expert at Rzetelna Firma.
“When customers in construction, manufacturing, trade or transport pay late, the consequences are felt by the providers of supporting services.
“The ‘Reliability in Business’ survey, conducted on behalf of Rzetelna Firma, found that 49% of small and medium-sized businesses had paid a contractor late at least once. At the same time, 36% of entrepreneurs believe that non-payment by a client may justify withholding their own payment.
“One overdue invoice may therefore trigger another, particularly in sectors where labour and operating costs must be covered immediately.”
