One in three companies in Poland plans to recruit new employees between July and September. At the same time, one in five employers intends to reduce headcount, while nearly half will keep staffing levels unchanged. In the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey, published today, employers revealed their recruitment plans for the coming quarter. According to the report, the greatest opportunities for changing jobs will be available in hospitality, restaurants and tourism, as well as in technology and IT services. The highest recruitment optimism is reported by employers in northern and south-western Poland.
ManpowerGroup has published a report on companies’ hiring plans for the next quarter. The Net Employment Outlook, reflecting recruitment sentiment among employers in Poland, stands at +16%. A total of 33% of employers expect to increase their workforce in the third quarter, 18% plan reductions, 47% do not intend to make staffing changes, and 2% do not know their hiring plans for the coming quarter. Companies are hiring due to business growth and technological development, while reductions are mainly the result of economic pressure and optimisation measures.
HoReCa and IT drive recruitment
The largest number of companies planning new recruitment comes from the hospitality and catering sector, with a Net Employment Outlook of +28%, and from technology and IT services, also at +28%. Strong optimism is also reported by employers in finance and insurance (+25%), construction and real estate (+24%), and trade and logistics (+21%).
Smaller, though still noticeable, opportunities for jobseekers are expected in professional, scientific and technical services (+18%) and in information and communication (+10%). The fewest offers are planned by companies in the public sector, healthcare and social services (+6%).
Employment map: the North leads
Between July and September 2026, job opportunities are expected to appear in all regions of Poland. The strongest demand for workers is declared by organisations in the North, where the outlook stands at +28%, followed by the South-West (+20%) and the South (+19%).
Slightly less optimistic plans are reported by employers in Central Poland (+9%), the East (+7%) and the North-West (+7%), although these figures still point to good chances of finding new employment.
Companies hire to grow and cut jobs to survive
Organisations in Poland plan to hire new employees mainly due to business expansion, indicated by 46% of companies, expansion into new markets, mentioned by 34%, and technological progress, which generates demand for new skills and specialists, cited by 22%. In addition, 19% of employers point to the need to increase team diversity and to fill vacancies created by employee departures in the previous quarter.
Job reductions are mainly driven by economic challenges, indicated by 31% of employers, the need to adjust headcount to current demand, mentioned by 29%, and market changes, cited by 22%. One in five employers is not filling vacancies after employee departures, while focusing on process optimisation and combining roles.
Organisations that do not plan staffing changes most often say that their current employment level is sufficient to achieve business goals, as indicated by 38% of respondents. They also point to the stability of the market situation (24%) and the implementation of a strategy focused on retaining the current workforce (23%).
About the survey
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the third quarter of 2026 was prepared on the basis of research conducted between 1 and 30 April 2026 among 40,592 employers representing 42 markets worldwide. In Poland, 515 employers took part in the survey.
Source: CEO.com.pl
