A growing number of older adults in Poland are choosing to remain professionally active rather than retire immediately upon reaching pension age. According to data from the Ministry of Labour, the number of working pensioners has risen by nearly 52% over the past nine years. And the labour market is increasingly receptive — research by Grupa Progres shows that 23% of companies plan to hire an older employee in the near future, while 6% of job listings explicitly invite seniors to apply.
In 2024, Poland had 37.4 million inhabitants, including nearly 9 million people of post-working age — 3.2 million men aged 65+ and 5.8 million women aged 60+. Over the next five years, that group will increase by over 217,000 — 113,000 women and 104,000 men. Many of them, despite reaching retirement age, will want to continue working. In fact, a growing proportion are choosing to remain employed even after qualifying for benefits.
Poles Don’t Rely on State Pensions Alone
Ministry data shows that the average age of professionally active retirees is 67.5 — 69.2 for men and 66.3 for women. In March of this year, 307,927 people aged 60+ were working under civil-law contracts (e.g. mandate contracts), including 83,838 individuals over the age of 65 (GUS data). A significant group is still registered as unemployed — in September, more than 131,000 Poles aged 55–74 held such status, slightly more than in the same period of 2024 (122,800). Many are actively looking for permanent work, and employers are increasingly willing to hire them. According to Grupa Progres, 23% of companies plan to employ a senior soon, and only 6% of layoffs were due to retirement age.
“The growing number of working pensioners is no coincidence — it is the result of long-term demographic and economic transformation. Poles are living longer, staying healthier and increasingly choosing to remain professionally active. For many, work provides satisfaction, purpose and a sense of belonging. Meanwhile, companies are starting to understand that experienced employees are not a cost, but an asset — they bring stability and insight that younger workers often lack. More organisations are adapting HR policies to those aged 60+, offering flexible hours, mentoring roles or project-based work — and they now communicate this openness directly in job ads,” says Anna Pietraszko, Director for Consulting, HR and Training Projects at Grupa Progres.
Industries Most Open to 60+ Talent
An analysis of over 90,000 job offers conducted by Grupa Progres shows that 6% of listings explicitly invite seniors. These roles are most common in sectors that offer flexibility and value hands-on experience — primarily:
- care and social assistance (home aides, support workers)
- hospitality (waitstaff, bartenders, kitchen staff, cooks)
- transport and logistics (drivers, couriers, warehouse operatives)
- retail (cashiers, sales staff, customer service)
- education (teachers, tutors, vocational advisors, extracurricular instructors)
“Only 4% of senior-oriented job ads involve managerial or senior-level positions. This shows that we still rarely view older employees as leaders — even though many have spent their careers building teams, leading projects and understanding business dynamics from the inside,” notes Pietraszko. “Professional maturity is a major advantage, not a barrier. If employers begin to leverage this potential more often, the labour market could change significantly. Many industries still have a lesson to learn — including those considered modern, which often lack openness to hiring older talent.”
Sectors Still Closed to Seniors
In fields requiring specialised knowledge and rapid adaptation — such as IT, finance, marketing and the creative industries — senior-targeted job offers remain much less common. These sectors are still often perceived as dominated by younger generations, supposedly better suited to fast-changing technological environments. Yet, many professionals aged 60+ possess not only strong technical expertise but also analytical, strategic and managerial skills — which are highly valuable.
Today, seniors seeking work in these industries may find positions such as: software tester, network installer, marketing manager, graphic designer, event access controller or event support staff.
A positive shift may be encouraged by the new 2025 Labour Market and Employment Services Act, which introduces financial incentives for hiring individuals over 60 or 65 — including a 12-month subsidy covering 50% of the minimum wage. However, Pietraszko stresses that more promotion and awareness are needed — in the first months after implementation, only eight people across eight local labour offices benefited from this support, likely due to employers’ lack of awareness or persistent stereotypes around older workers.
The Grupa Progres job offer analysis was conducted in the first two weeks of October 2025 and covered over 90,000 listings published on job portals. The study considered offers from companies, organisations and institutions across Poland.
The survey on the employment of seniors was conducted via CAWI in September 2025 among 600 employers representing various industries and sectors. Its objective was to assess employer attitudes toward older workers and how frequently mature candidates are hired into managerial and senior roles.
