Kraków Sees Fewer Corporate Jobs but Higher Average Pay

Employment in the enterprise sector

Average employment in Kraków’s enterprise sector in May 2026 amounted to 243.9 thousand full-time equivalent positions. Compared with April 2026, it was lower by 0.2 thousand people, or 0.1%, and compared with May 2025, it was lower by 5.1 thousand people, or 2.0%.

On a monthly basis, employment declined in transportation and warehousing (by 0.8%), construction and information and communication (by 0.4% each), industry (by 0.2%) and real estate activities (by 0.1%). Growth was recorded in administrative and support service activities (by 0.5%), arts, entertainment and recreation and accommodation and food service activities (by 0.4% each), professional, scientific and technical activities (by 0.2%), and trade; repair of motor vehicles (by 0.1%).

Year on year, the sharpest employment decline was recorded in professional, scientific and technical activities (down 15.2%), followed by transportation and warehousing (down 10.3%) and information and communication (down 3.8%). Employment increased in administrative and support service activities (up 8.3%), industry (up 6.8%), real estate activities (up 4.2%) and construction (up 1.5%).

Registered unemployment

At the end of May 2026, the number of registered unemployed in Kraków stood at 14,775. This was 50 people, or 0.3%, lower than at the end of April 2026, and 3,484 people, or 30.9%, higher than in the corresponding period of 2025. The registered unemployment rate was 2.8%, broadly unchanged from April 2026, compared with 2.2% a year earlier. For comparison, the unemployment rate was 4.9% in Małopolskie Voivodeship and 5.9% nationwide.

Women accounted for 47.1% of all registered unemployed (6,952 people), compared with 47.5% both a month and a year earlier. Compared with April 2026, the number of unemployed women fell by 91, or 1.3%, while year on year it increased by 1,591, or 29.7%.

In May 2026, 1,487 unemployed people registered with labour offices, compared with 1,640 in April 2026 and 1,286 in May 2025. First-time registrants accounted for 622 cases, or 41.8% of all newly registered unemployed. The share of people dismissed for reasons attributable to their employer among new registrants was 5.1%, compared with 4.5% a month earlier and 2.5% a year earlier.

In May 2026, 1,537 people were removed from the register, including 969 who took up employment and 198 who lost their unemployed status after having no contact with the labour office for at least 90 days. A total of 12,790 people, or 86.6% of all registered unemployed, were not entitled to unemployment benefits, compared with 85.6% a year earlier.

Job vacancies

In May 2026, Kraków labour offices received 1,037 job vacancy offers, representing 35.5% of all vacancies reported in Małopolskie Voivodeship. At the end of the month, labour offices had vacancies available for 1,988 people. In Kraków, there were seven registered unemployed people per job vacancy, unchanged from a month earlier, while the ratio for the entire voivodeship was 19 people.

Kraków compared with other large cities

In the May 2026 comparison of unemployed people per job vacancy, Kraków performed favourably against most large urban centres. Among the cities compared, the highest ratios were recorded in Łódź and Lublin, while the lowest were found in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Opole.

Wages

The average gross monthly wage in Kraków’s enterprise sector was PLN 11,469.00 in May 2026. It was 8.3% lower than in April 2026 and 6.2% higher than in May 2025.

On a monthly basis, the largest wage declines were recorded in professional, scientific and technical activities (down 17.9%), industry (down 11.0%) and information and communication (down 9.2%). Wage growth was recorded in real estate activities (up 3.1%), arts, entertainment and recreation (up 1.5%), and construction and transportation and warehousing (up 0.6% each).

Year on year, wages rose in all sections of the economy, most strongly in arts, entertainment and recreation (up 14.1%) and real estate activities (up 13.7%), and least strongly in construction (up 0.2%) and industry (up 2.1%).

Wage deviations from the sector average

The highest wages relative to the Kraków enterprise-sector average are recorded in information and communication, with a positive deviation of 45.8%, and professional, scientific and technical activities, with a 20.8% deviation. The lowest wages relative to the average are found in accommodation and food service activities, with a deviation of -43.6%, and transportation and warehousing, with a deviation of -25.7%.