Wages in Poland are slowing down: the labor market is entering a «cooling» phase

In February 2026, the average wage in Poland reached PLN 9,135 gross (over UAH 108,000). At the same time, its growth rate has slowed down noticeably: over the year, wages increased by only 6%, while in 2025 the increase was 8%, and in 2024 - almost 12%.

Such data is provided by the analytical center of the international employment company Gremi Personal, which monitors trends in the Polish labor market.

Experts note that official indicators look stronger than the real situation on the market. In fact, the labor market in Poland is gradually entering a “cooling” phase, and employers are becoming more cautious about personnel costs and salary increases.

Analyst Oleg Rudenko explains that the average level of over PLN 9,000 does not mean a uniform increase in income for all employees. The statistics were significantly influenced by structural changes in the labor market and administrative decisions.

In particular, one of the factors was the increase in the minimum wage: from January 1, 2026, it increased in Poland to PLN 4,806, which is PLN 140 more than the previous level. This automatically raised the minimum wage in the economy as a whole.

The second factor was the reduction in the number of low-paid workers. Enterprises — primarily factories and plants — more actively optimized their personnel, reducing the number of simple jobs. As a result, the share of low wages in statistics decreased, which mathematically increased the average indicator.

As Oleg Rudenko emphasizes, part of the increase in the average wage is explained not by a real increase in income, but by statistical effects — changes in the employment structure and regulatory decisions of the state.

At the same time, the labor market is becoming increasingly uneven. The difference between industries is growing: in the food industry, salaries increased by only 3.62% and averaged PLN 7,511.3 gross, while in the automotive sector they increased by almost 8.8% and reached PLN 9,842 gross, despite the reduction in staff.

Gremi Personal founder Yevhen Kyrychenko notes that the demand for qualified specialists in the industrial and technological sectors remains high, which supports the faster growth of salaries in these industries.

As for further prospects, experts do not give unambiguous forecasts. Among the risks, they name geopolitical instability, in particular, an aggravation in the Middle East, which may affect inflationary processes. At the same time, in February 2026, inflation in Poland was 2.1% in annual terms.

Analysts note that inflation is unlikely to be the main driver of wage increases, as the labor market is characterized by declining employment and uneven demand for labor.

The growth in demand for workers in manual professions is particularly emphasized. In this segment, Ukrainian citizens play a significant role - they occupy about two-thirds of vacancies and have actually become a key resource for Polish business.