The Polish labor market continues to actively seek specialists in the fields of finance, accounting, and law. Companies need both experts and managers for key positions, which is contributing to the increasing salaries in these fields, with an average annual growth of 15-20%. Not only are salaries attracting candidates – flexibility at work, work-life balance, and opportunities for professional development are increasingly important. In the face of dynamic market and technological changes, employers particularly appreciate soft skills and adaptability. These are just some of the conclusions drawn from the latest edition of the Salary and Labor Market Trends Review 2025, in which consultants from Michael Page analyzed current employment and salary trends in 10 different areas, including finance.
According to the latest report by Michael Page, the Polish labor market still needs workers in the fields of finance and accounting. Companies are intensively looking for both specialists and managers in these areas. Currently, the top 5 most desired positions include: Finance Manager/Director, Chief Accountant, Financial Controller, Independent Accountant, and Financial Analyst.
“From my observation, every year more and more candidates from the finance sector apply for jobs, however, this does not equally translate into recruitment success. The best candidates are mostly not actively looking for a new job and remain passive in the market. Some of them are ready to consider professional changes, but they approach the choice of offers in a very selective way. This particularly applies to experienced specialists and experts. Recruiting these candidates is, in my opinion, the most demanding today, as these people receive the most offers and often already are looking for opportunities for vertical promotion or significant changes in responsibility, which in the near future will enable such promotion,” says Michał Kłak, Director at Michael Page.
Strategic Workers
The area associated with finance, accounting, and law is distinct from others primarily due to the higher average salary level. This is due to a number of employer requirements and the necessity of having appropriate skills for a given position. The professional responsibility associated with strategic work for the operation of companies also plays a significant role. Employees can, among other things, provide analyses, optimize financial processes, or advise on profitability or risk management issues. The multitude of legislative changes and the high market dynamics on both a macro and micro scale force employees to constantly expand their knowledge and adjust to new realities. Advancing changes determine constantly growing salaries in finance-related fields.
For example, the most often offered salary for the position of Chief Accountant is PLN 23,000 gross, which is almost 10% more compared to last year’s PLN 21,000. Raises also covered Financial Controllers, whose most common salary increased by over 14%, from PLN 14,000 to PLN 16,000 gross, and Independent Accountants, whose salaries increased by almost 17%, from PLN 12,000 to PLN 14,000 gross.
Interestingly, in exceptional situations, within certain organizational structures, the maximum salary offered for a given position also significantly increased. In such cases, the salary of the Chief Accountant can reach even PLN 34,000, the Financial Controller PLN 20,000, and the Independent Accountant PLN 18,000. These are not frequent situations, but it is worth considering that they also have a significant impact on the expectations of candidates.
Not Just Salaries
This year’s Page Group report – Talent Trends 2024 showed that salaries are a key factor in the Polish labor market. Still important are work-life balance and work flexibility. These tendencies are clearly seen in finance.
Candidates are increasingly valuing not only higher salaries. They are also interested in hybrid work, as well as maintaining a balance between professional and private life. They also value the opportunity for professional development, prospects for promotion, managing teams, and participating in interdepartmental projects.
“Candidates expect from the new job not only a higher salary – although this is one of the key conditions that must ultimately be met for a candidate to accept an offer. They also want a real change in their role and to receive some added value. We are dealing with a situation in which the possibility of receiving a higher salary in a new job is a necessary condition to interest a candidate in discussing a job change. However, whether the offer will be accepted and whether they will join the new company depends on the mentioned non-financial factors that are attractive to them. To put it simply – these two issues have to go hand in hand,” adds Michał Kłak.
Key Skills and Competencies
Employers in accounting expect candidates to have data analysis skills, the ability to create business recommendations, and support the organization in their implementation. Technical skills, such as implementing ERP systems or optimizing processes, which translate into greater operational efficiency, are also valuable.
Beside specialist knowledge for a given role, it is soft skills like entrepreneurship, flexibility, adaptation to new conditions, and psychological resilience that often determine an employee’s success. Independence and initiative are particularly appreciated, and at managerial positions, the ability to adapt a management style to meet the needs of different generations of workers on the labor market is additionally important.
In addition, employees must demonstrate proficiency in managing change, including digital change. The revolution brought about by the development of artificial intelligence will not bypass financiers, accountants, and analysts. Despite the specter of significant changes associated with process automation, experts predict that these professions will undergo evolution, changing their role in companies. The development of AI can also be motivation to learn and expand one’s skills.
Challenges for Legal Departments
Legal departments are currently facing challenges related to personal data protection, especially in the context of rapid technological development and anti-money laundering in organizations. There is also increasing demand for lawyers specializing in ESG and environmental law, which results from growing ecological awareness and requirements for sustainable development. This field is still young on the Polish market, resulting in a shortage of employees. The low supply translates into the ability to negotiate rates and conditions by employees.
“In recent years, more and more companies are creating or expanding their internal legal departments to maintain key competences in the organization. This move is intended not only to reduce costs associated with external consulting, but also to speed up business decision making while limiting legal risks. These departments also play an important role in adapting to increasingly frequent changes in regulations. Examples of such challenges are the new whistleblower law and ESG reporting requirements. Additionally, there is an increasing demand for compliance and AML specialists, which results from the need to more effectively ensure the company’s operations comply with dynamically changing legal regulations,” summarizes Rafał Olczak, Senior Manager at Michael Page.
Source: https://ceo.com.pl/wynagrodzenia-w-finansach-i-ksiegowosci-niezmiennie-szybuja-w-gore-45251
