Warsaw Employment Falls as Unemployment Remains at a Record Low

Employment and the structure of the enterprise sector

Average employment in Warsaw’s enterprise sector amounted to 1,106.3 thousand full-time equivalent positions in May 2026. Compared with April 2026, it was lower by 3.8 thousand people, or 0.3%, and compared with May 2025, it was lower by 6.0 thousand people, or 0.5%.

Month on month, employment declined in wholesale and retail trade and motor vehicle repair (by 1.4%), real estate activities (by 1.3%), construction (by 0.6%) and information and communication (by 0.2%). Growth was recorded in accommodation and food service activities (by 0.6%), as well as in professional, scientific and technical activities and in industry (by 0.1% each).

Year on year, the largest employment declines were recorded in real estate activities (down 3.3%), accommodation and food service activities (down 2.5%), and trade (down 2.1%). Employment increased in construction (up 1.7%) and in professional, scientific and technical activities (up 1.4%).

Wages

Average monthly gross pay in the enterprise sector amounted to PLN 11,204.68 in May 2026 — 4.9% lower than in April 2026, but 6.9% higher than in May 2025. The monthly decline mainly reflected lower payments in construction (down 18.8%), industry (down 8.6%) and trade (down 7.3%) — sectors where April pay had been boosted by bonuses and periodic payments.

Year on year, wages increased in all analysed sections, most strongly in professional, scientific and technical activities (up 8.8%) and in trade and transport (up 7.5% each). The highest wages relative to the enterprise-sector average were recorded in information and communication (48.2% above the average) and professional, scientific and technical activities (32.6% above the average). Accommodation and food service activities (31.6% below the average) and administrative and support service activities (30.3% below the average) were the furthest below the average.

Registered unemployment

At the end of May 2026, the number of registered unemployed people in Warsaw stood at 22,615 — 311 people (1.4%) more than at the end of April 2026 and 2.897 people (14.7%) more than a year earlier. Women accounted for 10,895 people, or 48.2% of all unemployed people (47.7% a month earlier and 46.8% a year earlier).

The registered unemployment rate was 1.6%, unchanged from April 2026 but higher than a year earlier (1.4%). For comparison, the rate stood at 4.5% in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship and 5.9% nationwide.

In May 2026, 1,618 job offers were submitted to labour offices, accounting for 42.3% of all offers in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. In Warsaw, 17 registered unemployed people per job offer were recorded (19 a month earlier and 16 a year earlier) — well below the regional average of 26 people.

Among newly registered unemployed people, 1,134 (36.8%) registered for the first time, while the share of people dismissed for reasons related to their employer was 4.7% (4.1% a month earlier). A total of 2,770 people were removed from the register, including 1,256 who found work, while 1,181 lost unemployed status because they had no contact with the labour office for at least 90 days. A total of 19,842 people, or 87.7% of all registered unemployed people, were not entitled to unemployment benefits (86.1% a year earlier).

Warsaw compared with other large cities

Warsaw maintains the lowest registered unemployment rate among the compared cities, as well as by far the highest average employment and number of job offers submitted during the month. However, it trails Kraków in terms of average gross pay.

Data source: Statistics Poland (GUS), Statistical Office in Warsaw, “Statistics of Warsaw 5/2026”; data generated as of 24 June 2026. Own compilation based on GUS data.