At the end of May 2026, Poland’s labour offices had 915,900 registered unemployed people. The country’s registered unemployment rate stood at 5.9%. However, the data show substantial regional differences: the gap between the province with the lowest unemployment rate and the weakest regional labour market reached 5.7 percentage points, while at county level it exceeded 20 percentage points.
The lowest unemployment rate was recorded in Greater Poland, where it stood at 3.7%. The region was followed by Mazovia at 4.5%, Silesia at 4.8%, and Lesser Poland at 4.9%. At the other end of the ranking were the Warmian-Masurian, Subcarpathian and Świętokrzyskie provinces.
Greater Poland leads, Warmia and Masuria ranks last
Greater Poland maintained its position as the region with the lowest registered unemployment rate in Poland. At the end of May, 59,500 people were unemployed in the province, while the unemployment rate stood at 3.7%.
Although the number of registered unemployed people was similar to that recorded in provinces such as Kuyavian-Pomeranian or Lublin, the relationship between unemployment and the economically active population was clearly more favourable in Greater Poland.
Mazovia recorded the highest number of registered unemployed people, at 122,800. At the same time, the unemployment rate in the province was 4.5%, reflecting the scale of the regional labour market, including Warsaw and its surrounding area. Silesia ranked second in terms of the number of unemployed people, with 83,400 people registered at labour offices.
The highest unemployment rate among Poland’s provinces was recorded in the Warmian-Masurian region, at 9.4%. The result in Subcarpathia was only slightly lower, at 9.1%. In the Świętokrzyskie province, the unemployment rate reached 8.5%, while in the Lublin region it stood at 8.2%.
| Province | Number of unemployed people | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Poland | 59,500 | 3.7% |
| Mazovia | 122,800 | 4.5% |
| Silesia | 83,400 | 4.8% |
| Lesser Poland | 73,000 | 4.9% |
| Pomerania | 50,900 | 5.4% |
| Warmian-Masurian | 44,000 | 9.4% |
| Subcarpathian | 70,700 | 9.1% |
| Świętokrzyskie | 36,400 | 8.5% |
| Lublin | 61,800 | 8.2% |
| West Pomeranian | 45,700 | 7.8% |
Regional capitals continue to stand out for low unemployment
County-level data confirm that the lowest unemployment rates are concentrated primarily in major cities and their immediate surroundings. The strongest result was recorded in Poznań County, where the rate stood at just 1.4%.
Warsaw and Poznań both recorded unemployment rates of 1.6%. Low levels were also reported in Kępno County, at 1.7%, and in Katowice, where the rate was 1.8%. In Kraków, unemployment stood at 2.8%, compared with 2.5% in Wrocław and 3.3% in Gdańsk.
Large cities do not always have the lowest absolute number of registered unemployed people. Warsaw, due to the size of its labour market, also had the largest number of unemployed residents, with 22,600 people registered. Łódź recorded 19,700 unemployed people, Kraków 14,800, and Wrocław 10,300.
| County or city | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| Poznań County | 1.4% |
| Warsaw | 1.6% |
| Poznań | 1.6% |
| Kępno County | 1.7% |
| Katowice | 1.8% |
| Warsaw West County | 2.0% |
| Wrocław County | 2.3% |
| Wrocław | 2.5% |
| Kraków | 2.8% |
Szydłowiec County recorded the highest unemployment rate
The highest unemployment rate in Poland was recorded in Szydłowiec County in the Mazovia province. At the end of May, it stood at 22.3%, nearly four times higher than the national average.
High unemployment also persisted in Brzozów County in Subcarpathia, where the rate reached 19.3%, and in Lesko County, at 18.2%. Other counties facing particularly difficult labour-market conditions included Przysucha, Bartoszyce, Maków, Białogard and Strzyżów.
| County | Province | Unemployment rate |
|---|---|---|
| Szydłowiec | Mazovia | 22.3% |
| Brzozów | Subcarpathian | 19.3% |
| Lesko | Subcarpathian | 18.2% |
| Przysucha | Mazovia | 18.1% |
| Bartoszyce | Warmian-Masurian | 17.3% |
| Maków | Mazovia | 17.0% |
| Białogard | West Pomeranian | 17.0% |
| Strzyżów | Subcarpathian | 16.9% |
| Kętrzyn | Warmian-Masurian | 16.8% |
| Włodawa | Lublin | 16.8% |
The figures illustrate how uneven Poland’s labour market remains. While unemployment in major metropolitan areas and their surrounding counties is close to full-employment levels, some smaller counties continue to face unemployment rates several times higher than the national average.
Source: Statistics Poland (GUS), “Registered unemployed persons and unemployment rate by provinces and counties”, data as of the end of May 2026.
