Poland flag Poland: Operating a Business in Poland

Work conditions in Poland

The Active Population in Figures

	2018	2019	2020
Labour Force	18,390,676	18,318,734	18,204,932

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database

Employed Persons, by Occupation (% of Total Labour Force)	2015
Manufacturing	19.3%
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles	14.5%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	11.5%
Education	7.7%
Construction	7.5%
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	6.7%
Human health and social work activities	5.9%
Transportation and storage	5.9%
Professional, scientific and technical activities	3.5%
Administrative and support service activities	2.7%
Financial and insurance activities	2.5%
Information and communication	2.3%
Accommodation and food service activities	2.1%
Mining and quarrying	1.4%
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.3%
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1.1%
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1.1%
Real estate activities	1.1%

Legal Weekly Duration: 40 hours
Retirement Age: 60 for women and 65 for men, but following the revision of the pension system in 2012, the retirement age will be gradually increased to 67.
Working Contracts: Employment agreements can have a fixed term or an indefinite term. It is possible to enter into a separate contract for a trial period of up to three months.
Legal measures govern work contracts; collective agreements and individual negotiation complete them, but to a lesser extent.
The formality of work contracts and the conditions of hiring and dismissal are extremely rigid.
Labour Laws: Consult Doing Business Website, to obtain a summary of the labor regulations that apply to local entreprises.

Minimum Wage: Since the 1 January 2022, the minimum wage is PLN 3,010 per month (Polish government)
Average Wage: In the first quarter of 2022, the average monthly gross wage and salary amounted to PLN 6,235.2 (Statistics Poland).
According to the OECD, Polish people earned USD 33,850 per year on average in 2021, much less than the OECD average of USD 52,436.
Social Contributions: Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: Pension fund (9.76%), disability fund (6.50%), accident insurance (0,67% - 3,33%), labour fund contribution (2.45%), Employees' Guaranteed Benefits fund contribution (0.10%)
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: Old age pension (9.76%), disability insurance (1.50%), sickness benefits (2.45%), health insurance (9%)

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners: The law provides for the rights of workers to establish and join independent trade unions, bargain collectively, and conduct legal strikes, but there are limitations. Violations of workers’ rights to organise, join unions and to strike, as well as anti-union discrimination occur. There are a few unions: the free independent union of Poland (NSZZ), the alliance of all Polish unions (OPZZ) and the Polish union of teachers (ZNP).
Labour Unions: Solidarnosc (NSZZ)
All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions (OPZZ)
Polish union of teachers (ZNP)
Unionisation Rate: Union membership has been declining and is currently estimated at 12% of workers.
Labour Regulation Bodies: Ministry of labor and social policy

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