Average employment and wages in Poland rose in 2024

According to preliminary data from Statistics Poland, the average paid employment in the national economy in 2024 reached 11 million full-time equivalents, reflecting a modest increase of 0.3% compared to 2023. The manufacturing sector remained the largest employer, accounting for 22.5% of total employment.

Notable employment growth was observed in the accommodation and catering sector, which increased by 3.1%, and in human health, social work, arts, entertainment, and recreation sectors, each recording a 2.1% rise. Conversely, employment declined in five sectors, with the sharpest drops in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (-3.2%) and administrative and support services (-2.6%).

The average gross monthly wage and salary in Poland increased by 13.6% year-on-year, reaching PLN 8,181.72 in 2024. This growth outpaced the 13.1% increase recorded in 2023. Wages varied significantly across sectors, ranging from PLN 5,516.44 in accommodation and catering to PLN 13,459.50 in information and communication—about 32.6% below and 64.5% above the national average, respectively.

All economic sectors experienced wage growth, with education seeing the highest increase at 24.2%. The lowest wage growth, at 2.3%, was recorded in the mining and quarrying and other service activities sectors.

In terms of minimum wages, the gross monthly minimum wage was PLN 4,242.00 in the first half of the year and rose to PLN 4,300.00 in the second half. These figures represented 53.4% and 51.8% of the national average gross wage (excluding annual bonuses), respectively. By December 2024, approximately 402,700 employees earned the minimum wage or less.