Poland’s business services sector has entered a phase of full maturity and strengthened its position as one of the main pillars of the national economy, according to the latest report by the Association of Business Service Leaders, or ABSL.
A key trend is the sector’s growing responsibility for global business processes. Its contribution to Poland’s GDP has increased to 6.1%, while the value of exported services reached a record $48.4 billion in 2025.
Poland continues to reinforce its position as one of Europe’s most important business services locations. At the end of the first quarter of 2026, the country was home to 2,179 service centres operated by 1,303 companies.
The sector is now achieving a goal it has pursued for years: moving beyond the role of a service provider and becoming an owner and integrator of global business processes.
A sector setting the direction of change
This year’s report confirms that business services are at the forefront of the artificial intelligence revolution. Centres are testing and implementing solutions that are likely to become standard across the wider economy.
Thanks to their high level of innovation, specialists working in business services centres are developing operating models intended to improve competitiveness during a period of geopolitical uncertainty and rapid advances in generative AI. These models may eventually serve as an example for other sectors.
“The specialisation of Poland’s business services sector has reached a stage at which we are becoming architects of global business value,” said Janusz Dziurzyński, president of ABSL Poland.
“We are taking full ownership of processes, which is changing our role in global value chains.”
According to Dziurzyński, business services are among the first areas of the Polish economy to experience changes that will soon affect other industries.
“This is where AI-based productivity standards, talent trends and new labour-market requirements are being created. These factors will soon define the competitiveness of Polish business as a whole,” he said.
“Today, we are primarily scaling value and operational intelligence that support entire value chains.”
Record growth in exports and productivity
The growing importance of the sector is clearly visible in macroeconomic data. Its contribution to Poland’s GDP has risen to a record 6.1%.
The estimated value of business services exports reached $48.4 billion in 2025, up significantly from $42.3 billion in the previous year.
Employment has stabilised at around half a million jobs, representing 7.8% of total employment in Poland’s corporate sector.
“The data indicate that business services in Poland are moving towards a model based on efficiency,” said Mariusz Mulas, vice-president of ABSL Poland responsible for business analysis.
“Average exports per employee increased by more than $10,000 year on year to $96,700. This is clear evidence of the growing complexity and value of services delivered in Poland.”
Mid-office functions already account for 63% of processes performed by Polish centres, while knowledge-intensive work represents almost 60% of their operations.
“The development of AI allows us to move further up the value chain while maintaining a stable level of employment,” Mulas added.
Technological transformation drives the sector
Almost 85% of business services centre leaders have already declared that they are adopting generative artificial intelligence. This points to a profound transformation of existing operating models.
The sector is gradually moving away from traditional organisational structures towards a model known as GenBS, or Generative Business Services.
Under this approach, artificial intelligence is evolving from a supporting tool into a co-creator and executor of processes. Human specialists increasingly assume supervisory, decision-making and management responsibilities.
ABSL forecasts that by 2030, as many as 70% of centres in Poland will move beyond traditional operating models. Their efficiency will be based on integrated data analytics and autonomous intelligence systems working alongside human specialists.
This transformation is expected to redefine work by shifting the focus from traditional job roles towards skills-based employment. For workers, it may create opportunities to move into more specialised positions.
Poland’s human capital advantage
Only 0.5% of sector leaders consider talent shortages to be a serious challenge.
Poland’s business services sector has evolved towards a model based on advanced and distinctive competencies. Its growth is being supported by an experienced workforce, with people over the age of 35 accounting for more than half of all employees.
The proportion of junior positions is declining, while the number of specialist and expert roles is increasing.
Polish professionals also demonstrate an above-average readiness to work with artificial intelligence. This is becoming one of the country’s main advantages in attracting higher-value tasks.
Poland’s strategic position is increasingly based on deep sector knowledge and the ability to manage complex and integrated processes.
Training becomes a strategic priority
Employee training is becoming a strategic priority for the sector.
A third of business services leaders expect that by 2030, half of their employees will need their professional roles to be redefined or will require new skills in analytics, automation and artificial intelligence.
Combining corporate training programmes with stronger cooperation between businesses and universities will therefore be essential.
Aligning employee competencies with labour-market requirements is becoming one of the main factors determining Poland’s future competitiveness.
Wrocław and Lower Silesia as a European skills hub
Wrocław remains one of Poland’s three leading business services locations. Around 71,000 specialists are employed across 259 centres in the city.
Wrocław is strengthening its position as Poland’s “Silicon Valley” by attracting projects with some of the highest levels of added value.
“For many years, Wrocław has attracted investors, but it is equally important that companies already operating here want to continue expanding their teams and investing in the city,” said Jacek Sutryk, mayor of Wrocław.
“This is thanks to the people: highly educated specialists, our universities and the city’s openness to new technologies.”
He added that Wrocław is now one of Europe’s leading centres for modern services, information technology and artificial intelligence projects.
The city also continues to attract traditional industries and businesses that choose Wrocław because of the positive experiences of companies already operating there.
The development of the regional capital is also strengthening the position of the entire Lower Silesian region, which is becoming a major European competence hub.
“Lower Silesia is currently one of Poland’s fastest-growing regions because we are able to effectively combine the potential of business, science and local government,” said Paweł Gancarz, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
“We are creating favourable conditions for investment, supporting the development of modern industries and consistently building an economy based on knowledge and innovation.”
“At the same time, we want Lower Silesia to be a good place to live and work. People, their skills and their entrepreneurship are the region’s greatest assets.”
Wrocław and the Lower Silesian Voivodeship are hosting the ABSL Summit 2026 under the theme “Know the Unknown”.
About the report
The Business Services Sector in Poland 2026 report was launched during ABSL Summit 2026: Know the Unknown, one of Europe’s most important events for the business services industry.
The report was prepared in cooperation with Colliers, Mercer, Randstad, Randstad Enterprise and Poland’s National Information Processing Institute.
The Polish Investment and Trade Agency is the honorary patron of the publication.
Source: CEO.com.pl
