Poland is struggling with serious labour shortages. According to estimates by representatives of Employers of Poland, around 200,000 people of working age leave the labour market every year. One possible solution to the worsening situation is the professional activation of people with disabilities. Both sides of the labour market are open to such cooperation, but certain stereotypes still need to be overcome. Experts also point to the need to improve the skills of people with disabilities and simplify procedures.
According to the demographic forecast of Statistics Poland, the number of people of working age is expected to fall significantly. In the extreme scenarios — low and high — this number is estimated to reach 13.3 million and 16.6 million respectively in 2060. Compared with 22.2 million in 2022, this means a decline of 25 percent in the high scenario and 40 percent in the low scenario.
“Poland is facing very serious staffing problems. Every year, 200,000 people of working age leave the labour market. This therefore creates a major opportunity for people with disabilities,” says Piotr Rogowiecki, director of the Analysis and Legislation Department at Employers of Poland and secretary of the Presidium of the Social Dialogue Council, in an interview with Newseria.
“The demographic situation on the labour market is such that employers must reach for the resource represented by people with disabilities. It is estimated that there are more than 2 million people who are not working and are not looking for work,” says Tomasz Szklarski, an expert at the Business Centre Club and vice-president of the management board of Zmotywowani.pl.
According to data from Statistics Poland, at the end of the fourth quarter of 2025 there were 534,000 economically active people with disabilities registered in Poland, of whom 491,000 were employed and 42,000 were unemployed. The largest group of employed people with disabilities, 98,000, worked in manufacturing. Healthcare and social assistance ranked second, with 62,000 employees. Trade and vehicle repair came third, with 57,000 people employed.
At the end of 2025, among unemployed people with disabilities, 18,000 had been looking for work for up to three months. Another 12,000 had been looking for work for 13 months or longer. At the same time, the number of economically inactive people with disabilities stood at 2.12 million.
“What makes it most difficult for companies to employ people with disabilities? There are several barriers. Above all, employers are still afraid of whether they know how to do it and whether they have adapted workplaces. Often this fear is unjustified, because even they do not realise that they already have this knowledge. Stereotypes, stereotypes and stereotypes again,” says the Business Centre Club expert.
“People with disabilities need to clearly present their needs: the areas in which they are strong and where they require support from the employer. Employers will certainly be open to such actions,” says Piotr Rogowiecki.
An employer who hires a person with a disability is entitled to co-financing from the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, or PFRON. However, the employer must meet specific conditions, including employing the person under an employment contract, appointment, election, nomination or a cooperative employment contract.
“When considering hiring people with disabilities, an entrepreneur will certainly be concerned about whether they can do it in accordance with applicable regulations. Often, not understanding these rules, they decide that they would rather not take it on, or even prefer to pay penalties. Therefore, simplifying all these procedures could improve the situation on the labour market,” emphasises the Business Centre Club expert.
Mandatory contributions to PFRON apply to employers who employ at least 25 workers and whose employment rate of people with disabilities is below 6 percent. At the same time, employers may receive support from PFRON, including reimbursement of the costs of creating a workplace for a person with a disability and covering part of their salary. They may also apply for co-financing for equipping or adapting a workstation or training such an employee.
PFRON also carries out professional activation activities for jobseekers and unemployed people. These include internships, training, career counselling and job placement services.
“The biggest problem in employing people with disabilities is the skills gap. If we are to think about increasing the employment rate, these people must improve their competences,” says Piotr Rogowiecki. “This is not only about university education, because the labour market is currently opening up a range of opportunities, for example related to new technologies, where formal technical education is not required. Training and courses, however, are very important. Work can even be performed from home. For people with disabilities, this is a broad area of opportunity.”
“There are many activation programmes and projects on the market in which an unemployed person with a disability can acquire competences that are becoming increasingly important from the labour market’s point of view. These are basic instruments that work well and are used by both sides,” emphasises Tomasz Szklarski.
Greater professional activation of people with disabilities could also be supported by the personal assistance act currently being processed. Support from an assistant could enable another group of people, currently deprived of such an opportunity, to actively participate in professional life. Moreover, personal assistance could also allow carers of people with disabilities to return to the labour market.
“If carers decide to work, they are effectively working at least two jobs. One of them, often a 24-hour challenge, is caring for a child or a parent. On the other hand, they would like to participate in the labour market and work — but how are they supposed to do that? Any benefits that provide care for a person with a disability during the carer’s working hours are a huge opportunity for that carer. Discussions are under way on legislative changes aimed at providing financial support for such people. I think we are moving in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us so that these people can become active participants in the labour market and feel comfortable doing so,” says the BCC expert.
On 1 January 2024, the Act on the Support Benefit entered into force, introducing new solutions in the system of benefits for people with disabilities and their carers. Its aim is to make everyday functioning easier and increase independence. The amount of the support benefit depends on the level of need for support, meaning the number of points awarded, and is linked to the amount of the social pension.
The benefit ranges from 40 percent of the social pension, in the case of a support need level of 70–74 points, to 220 percent of the social pension, for a support need level of 95–100 points.
