Although half of Polish workers still feel secure in their current jobs, concerns about employment stability are clearly increasing. According to the latest “Labour Market Barometer 2026” by Gi Group Holding, 33.3% of employed people in Poland now say they are worried about their professional stability. This growing uncertainty is also affecting career decisions: among those who fear losing their job, as many as 66% are considering changing their profession.
Fears of Job Loss Are Increasing
The latest data show that concerns about job security have risen noticeably compared with the situation two or three years ago. Currently, 33.3% of economically active people report such concerns, compared with 26% two years earlier. At the same time, the share of workers who feel calm about their employment situation has fallen from 55% last year to 50.7% this year.
The results suggest that uncertainty is no longer seen only as a distant risk. Increasingly, workers are looking at the coming months with caution. This reflects both the general economic climate and the signals employees observe in the labour market, including more careful recruitment plans among companies.
According to Agnieszka Żak, Key Account Director at Gi Group, most Poles still feel relatively stable in their current workplace, but concerns are rising. She points to growing business costs, including labour costs, and the unpredictability of the economic situation as factors leading companies to limit recruitment and focus primarily on key positions that directly affect efficiency.
Companies Are More Cautious About Hiring
Employers are also taking a more conservative approach to recruitment planning. As in previous years, the majority of companies intend to maintain current employment levels. This is declared by 72.7% of organisations.
However, fewer companies are planning to increase their headcount. In the next quarter, 13.7% of employers intend to expand employment, compared with 16.7% a year earlier. At the same time, the share of companies expecting staff reductions has doubled, rising from 4.9% last year to 9.8%.
These figures are not alarming, but they confirm a more cautious attitude among businesses. Companies are still operating, but they are expanding teams more carefully in an environment shaped by higher costs and uncertain economic prospects.
Women and Younger Workers Feel Less Secure
The report shows clear differences in job security concerns depending on gender, age, sector and position. Women are more likely than men to fear losing their job. Such concerns are declared by 37.7% of women, an increase of 7 percentage points compared with last year. Among men, the figure is lower, at 29%, and has actually decreased compared with 2025.
Concerns are particularly common among workers aged 25 to 44. In this group, the share of people worried about professional stability has increased from 31% to almost 40%. Younger workers up to the age of 24 are also relatively anxious, with 37.3% declaring concerns.
Older employees feel the most secure. Among workers aged over 55, 65.6% say they are not afraid of losing their job, while only 20% express such concerns. In the 45–54 age group, 61% feel secure and 24.5% are worried about their employment situation.
Transport, Logistics, Retail and Manufacturing Report the Highest Anxiety
The strongest concerns are visible in transport and logistics, where 46.6% of workers fear losing their jobs. High levels of anxiety are also reported in retail, at 42%, and manufacturing, at 39.3%.
The most secure workers are those employed in the public sector and services. In the public sector, 20.7% of employees report concerns, while in services the figure stands at 28.2%. These are also the only sectors where anxiety has decreased compared with the previous year.
The level of seniority also matters. Uncertainty has increased in almost all occupational groups, especially among lower-level employees, where 40.4% report concerns. The exception is senior specialists, among whom the share of those worried about job loss has fallen to 26.2%.
Higher Earners Are Not Immune to Uncertainty
Interestingly, workers with the highest incomes are among those most concerned about their professional situation. As in the previous year, uncertainty is most common among people earning more than PLN 10,000 net per month. In this group, 48.7% report concerns about job stability.
The calmest group consists of workers earning between PLN 7,000 and PLN 9,900 net per month. Among them, 22.6% declare concerns about losing their job.
Regional differences are also visible. The lowest level of anxiety is recorded in northern Poland, where 23% of workers fear job loss. In the southern region, concerns have decreased from 40% to 34.2%. The highest levels of concern are reported in the south-western region, at 43%, followed by the central region at 36.5% and the eastern region at 36.3%.
Uncertainty Encourages Job Searching
For many employees, fear of job loss is not just a passive concern. It translates into a greater willingness to act. Among people who fear losing their job or plan to change it, 56.7% are actively looking for new employment. This is higher than the share of those who do not intend to take such steps, which stands at 43.4%.
At the same time, the report suggests that workers are becoming more careful in their career decisions. They are analysing the advantages and risks of changing jobs more thoroughly and are sometimes postponing major decisions.
According to Agata Naklicka, Regional Manager at Grafton Recruitment, Poles are now weighing the pros and cons of changing jobs more carefully. However, the broader trend of taking career matters into one’s own hands appears to be lasting. It is supported by generational change, growing flexibility, and the experience of the pandemic, which showed how quickly working conditions can change.
Reskilling Becomes a Strategy for Career Security
One of the most important findings of the report is the strong link between employment uncertainty and openness to reskilling. Workers who do not feel secure are more likely to think not only about changing employers, but also about changing their profession entirely.
Among people who fear losing their job or are considering changing it, 66% are open to changing their occupation. Among those who do not fear job loss or do not plan a job change, this figure is much lower, at under 40%.
This shows that uncertainty can encourage workers to look more broadly at their career prospects. In this context, skills development is becoming increasingly important. Employees want competencies that improve flexibility and make it easier to move into new areas of work.
The report also refers to forecasts from the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs” report, according to which nearly 60% of workers may need to acquire new skills or change qualifications by 2030.
Technology Is Changing Demand for Skills
The changing labour market is strongly linked to technological development. Some roles are losing importance, while demand is growing for new specialisations and skills. This means that continuous learning is no longer optional for many workers. In some cases, it may require acquiring completely new qualifications or changing careers.
Piotr Wajgielt, Executive Manager at Wyser Executive Search, notes that reskilling is no longer an exceptional situation. It is increasingly becoming one of the ways workers build professional security in a changing labour market. The fact that 66% of uncertain workers are considering a change of profession confirms that career flexibility is becoming an important response to instability.
A Labour Market Marked by Caution
The findings of the “Labour Market Barometer 2026” point to a labour market that remains relatively stable, but more cautious than in previous years. Most workers still feel secure, and most companies do not plan major employment cuts. However, the direction of change is clear: concerns are rising, recruitment plans are more restrained, and employees are preparing for a more demanding labour market.
The growing willingness to search for new jobs and consider reskilling suggests that Polish workers are increasingly aware of structural changes in the economy. Job security is no longer based only on the stability of one employer. More and more often, it depends on adaptability, skills development and readiness to respond to change.
