Unemployment in Poland remains among the lowest in the European Union, but the first cracks are beginning to show beneath the surface of strong headline data. The labour market has not come to a halt, but it has started to change. The number of job offers is falling, demand for workers is shifting, and it is becoming increasingly clear that some groups — especially young people and workers over 50 — are moving outside the mainstream of the labour market.
Macroeconomic data may suggest an almost idyllic picture of the Polish labour market. Unemployment in Poland is among the lowest in the European Union: according to Eurostat, the BAEL unemployment rate stands at around 2.8–3%, compared with an EU average of about 6%. At the same time, data from Statistics Poland send an optimistic signal that the market remains in good shape. In March 2026, wages in companies exceeded the threshold of PLN 9,600 gross, while industry recorded a strong rebound of more than 8% — a result significantly better than forecasts, which may point to a smaller scale of layoffs in the near future.
“The problem is that statistics can be misleading. Unemployment is still low, but that does not mean nothing is happening in the market. On the contrary, the first signs of cooling are visible. This is not a sudden collapse, but a gradual, systemic change that is beginning to affect more and more areas of the labour market,” says Tomasz Szklarski, labour market expert and co-founder of Enpulse, a modern HR platform supporting employers in working with employee engagement.
Employers no longer want juniors
In 2025, the number of published job offers fell noticeably, with data from Grant Thornton and the eRecruiter system indicating year-on-year declines in the double digits. The market has not collapsed, but it is no longer as absorbent as it was just a few years ago. This is hitting people at the start of their careers the hardest — especially in areas that, until recently, were expected to offer the greatest opportunities.
“For years, IT was considered a safe choice: high earnings, a quick start and practically a guarantee of employment after graduation. Today, that is no longer the case. Companies are limiting junior recruitment and are mainly looking for people who can deliver results immediately. The effect? People at the beginning of their careers, even those with technical degrees, are increasingly bouncing off the market. The same pattern is beginning to appear in other sectors,” Szklarski notes.
“This is not a temporary slowdown, but a change in the rules of the game. And it is also a major risk — because if we do not allow juniors into the labour market today, we will lack seniors in a few years. The problem facing young workers will very quickly become a problem for companies,” the expert adds.
Demographics do not work the same way for everyone
The labour market is also increasingly difficult for experienced workers. This is most visible among people over 50. For them, losing a job often means a long break in employment, with finding a new position taking on average nine to ten months. By comparison, younger candidates return to the labour market much faster, usually within three to six months.
“The problem is not only the skills of people over 50, but above all how companies perceive them — especially in the context of technology. A very strong and often unfair narrative has grown around this group about ‘digital gaps’. And this is starting to act like a self-fulfilling prophecy. People lose confidence, enter recruitment processes with high levels of tension and stress, and this directly affects their results. As a consequence, the barrier is no longer real skills, but fear,” the expert emphasises.
A two-speed labour market
“This is not a moment when work is beginning to disappear. It is a moment when space is beginning to disappear for some people. The market is no longer equal for everyone. At its centre today are experienced specialists — people who can deliver results quickly. On the other side are those who are just beginning their professional path and those in whom employers are losing faith,” says Tomasz Szklarski.
“This is not a crisis, but a clear moment of transition — one in which the cards are being dealt for the coming years,” the expert adds.
