{"id":5560,"date":"2026-06-01T19:54:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/?p=5560"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:54:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:54:43","slug":"krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/","title":{"rendered":"Krak\u00f3w in April 2026: higher wages and strong industry, but a weaker labour market and falling retail sales"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Krak\u00f3w entered the second quarter of 2026 with a clearly mixed economic picture.<\/strong> The city recorded strong annual growth in wages, industrial production, construction output and housing completions. At the same time, average employment fell, registered unemployment rose sharply, and retail sales remained below last year\u2019s level.<\/p>\n<p>The April data from the Statistical Office in Krak\u00f3w suggest that the city\u2019s economy is not slowing uniformly. Investment and industrial activity look relatively strong, while the consumer side of the economy and parts of the labour market are weaker. This creates a more complex picture than a simple expansion or downturn.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Labour_market_fewer_jobs_more_unemployed_people\" >Labour market: fewer jobs, more unemployed people<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Wages_high_level_strong_annual_growth_monthly_correction\" >Wages: high level, strong annual growth, monthly correction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Construction_one_of_the_strongest_parts_of_the_economy\" >Construction: one of the strongest parts of the economy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Retail_trade_weaker_consumer_demand\" >Retail trade: weaker consumer demand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Industry_strong_growth_but_uneven_structure\" >Industry: strong growth, but uneven structure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Housing_market_completions_surge_but_new_starts_decline\" >Housing market: completions surge, but new starts decline<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Business_activity_the_company_base_keeps_growing\" >Business activity: the company base keeps growing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/krakow-in-april-2026-higher-wages-and-strong-industry-but-a-weaker-labour-market-and-falling-retail-sales-32184\/#Krakow_compared_with_other_large_cities\" >Krak\u00f3w compared with other large cities<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Labour_market_fewer_jobs_more_unemployed_people\"><\/span>Labour market: fewer jobs, more unemployed people<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Average employment in Krak\u00f3w\u2019s enterprise sector stood at <strong>244.1 thousand people<\/strong> in April 2026. This was <strong>0.3% lower than in March<\/strong> and <strong>1.9% lower than in April 2025<\/strong>. In absolute terms, enterprise-sector employment fell by around <strong>4.7 thousand jobs year on year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest annual declines were recorded in professional, scientific and technical activities, transport and storage, information and communication, trade and vehicle repair, accommodation and food services, and culture, entertainment and recreation. At the same time, employment increased in administrative and support services, industry, real estate services and construction.<\/p>\n<p>This shows that Krak\u00f3w\u2019s labour market is undergoing a structural adjustment. The fall in employment in professional and technical activities is particularly notable because this segment is usually associated with the city\u2019s stronger, higher-value service base.<\/p>\n<p>Registered unemployment also increased. At the end of April 2026, Krak\u00f3w had <strong>14,825 registered unemployed people<\/strong>, up <strong>2.6% from March<\/strong> and <strong>28.7% from April 2025<\/strong>. The unemployment rate rose to <strong>2.8%<\/strong>, compared with <strong>2.7% a month earlier<\/strong> and <strong>2.2% a year earlier<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this deterioration, Krak\u00f3w\u2019s labour market still looks relatively tight compared with the wider region and the country. The unemployment rate in Ma\u0142opolskie province was <strong>5.1%<\/strong>, while Poland\u2019s national rate stood at <strong>6.0%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>There was also a positive signal from job vacancies. In April, labour offices received <strong>1,141 job offers<\/strong>, and at the end of the month there were <strong>7 registered unemployed people per one job offer<\/strong>, compared with 9 in March. This was much better than the regional average of 18 people per offer.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wages_high_level_strong_annual_growth_monthly_correction\"><\/span>Wages: high level, strong annual growth, monthly correction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Average gross monthly wages in Krak\u00f3w\u2019s enterprise sector reached <strong>PLN 12,509.32<\/strong> in April 2026. This was <strong>8.8% higher than a year earlier<\/strong>, but <strong>6.9% lower than in March<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The monthly decline was broad. Wages fell compared with March in administrative and support services, industry, information and communication, real estate services, trade, accommodation and food services, construction, and transport and storage. The only major increases were recorded in professional, scientific and technical activities and in culture, entertainment and recreation.<\/p>\n<p>The year-on-year picture was much stronger. Wages increased across all listed sectors, with the largest annual rises in professional, scientific and technical activities, industry, culture and recreation, real estate services, transport and storage, administrative and support services, accommodation and food services, information and communication, construction and trade.<\/p>\n<p>The wage structure remains highly uneven. According to the chart on page 3 of the report, wages in <strong>information and communication<\/strong> were <strong>47.2% above<\/strong> Krak\u00f3w\u2019s enterprise-sector average. Professional, scientific and technical activities were <strong>35.0% above average<\/strong>. At the other end, accommodation and food services were <strong>47.9% below average<\/strong>, while transport and storage were <strong>32.3% below average<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This confirms that Krak\u00f3w remains a high-wage city in knowledge-intensive sectors, but the gap between technology-oriented jobs and lower-paid services is very large.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Construction_one_of_the_strongest_parts_of_the_economy\"><\/span>Construction: one of the strongest parts of the economy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Construction data were clearly positive. Sold production of construction reached <strong>PLN 1.478 billion<\/strong> in April 2026. This was <strong>24.3% higher than in March<\/strong> and <strong>45.4% higher than in April 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In January\u2013April 2026, sold construction production amounted to <strong>PLN 4.967 billion<\/strong>, up <strong>33.5% year on year<\/strong>. Construction and assembly production also increased. In April it reached <strong>PLN 376.0 million<\/strong>, up <strong>5.5% month on month<\/strong> and <strong>9.4% year on year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For the first four months of 2026, construction and assembly production was <strong>25.0% higher<\/strong> than in the same period of 2025. Growth was recorded in specialist construction works, building construction and civil engineering.<\/p>\n<p>Productivity in construction also improved. Output per employee in construction stood at <strong>PLN 97.2 thousand<\/strong> in April, up <strong>23.5% from March<\/strong> and <strong>43.2% from April 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This is a major difference compared with Warsaw, where the same month showed a clear annual decline in construction. In Krak\u00f3w, construction activity appears to be supporting the local economy rather than dragging it down.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Retail_trade_weaker_consumer_demand\"><\/span>Retail trade: weaker consumer demand<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Retail sales were one of the weaker elements of the April data. Retail sales by trading and non-trading enterprises were <strong>2.2% higher than in March<\/strong>, but <strong>2.7% lower than in April 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The annual decline was broad. Sales fell in non-specialised stores, food, beverages and tobacco, motor vehicles and parts, the \u201cother\u201d category, press and books, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and clothing and footwear.<\/p>\n<p>For January\u2013April 2026, retail sales were <strong>4.8% lower<\/strong> than in the same period of 2025. This suggests that the weakness was not limited to one month.<\/p>\n<p>The data point to more cautious consumer behaviour, despite rising nominal wages. This may reflect higher living costs, weaker employment dynamics, changes in spending priorities or a high comparison base from the previous year.<\/p>\n<p>Wholesale trade looked better. Wholesale sales in trade enterprises were <strong>10.8% higher year on year<\/strong> in April, while wholesale enterprises recorded a <strong>10.0% annual increase<\/strong>. In January\u2013April, wholesale sales were also above last year\u2019s level.<\/p>\n<p>This contrast is important: business-to-business turnover remains relatively solid, while household-facing retail sales are weaker.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Industry_strong_growth_but_uneven_structure\"><\/span>Industry: strong growth, but uneven structure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Industrial sold production reached <strong>PLN 4.597 billion<\/strong> in April 2026. In constant prices, it was <strong>19.0% higher than in April 2025<\/strong>. Manufacturing output increased even more strongly, by <strong>22.6% year on year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The January\u2013April data confirm this positive trend. Industrial sold production amounted to <strong>PLN 18.365 billion<\/strong>, up <strong>16.6% year on year<\/strong> in constant prices. Manufacturing production increased by <strong>22.2%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The strongest growth was recorded in electrical equipment, where sales were more than 4.5 times higher than a year earlier. Increases were also seen in repair, maintenance and installation of machinery and equipment, production of computers, electronic and optical products, chemicals and food products.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, several manufacturing branches recorded sharp declines. These included pharmaceuticals, clothing, wood products, paper products, printing, non-metallic mineral products, machinery and equipment, furniture, textiles, leather products, other manufacturing, rubber and plastics, and metals.<\/p>\n<p>This means Krak\u00f3w\u2019s industrial performance was strong overall, but not universal. Growth was concentrated in selected branches, while many traditional manufacturing segments remained under pressure.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Housing_market_completions_surge_but_new_starts_decline\"><\/span>Housing market: completions surge, but new starts decline<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Housing completions were one of the strongest areas in the report. In April 2026, <strong>1,287 dwellings<\/strong> were completed in Krak\u00f3w, <strong>91.8% more<\/strong> than in April 2025.<\/p>\n<p>In January\u2013April 2026, <strong>3,450 dwellings<\/strong> were completed, up <strong>79.3% year on year<\/strong>. This increase was driven mainly by dwellings built for sale or rent, where completions rose from <strong>1,779 to 3,254 units<\/strong>, an increase of <strong>82.9%<\/strong>. Individual housing also grew, from <strong>145 to 196 dwellings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>However, forward-looking indicators are weaker. In January\u2013April 2026, construction began on <strong>2,935 dwellings<\/strong>, down <strong>12.8% year on year<\/strong>. Permits and construction notifications covered <strong>3,146 dwellings<\/strong>, down <strong>3.0%<\/strong> from the same period of 2025.<\/p>\n<p>This creates a two-speed housing picture. Current supply, measured by completed dwellings, is much higher than last year. But the pipeline of new projects is softer, which may affect supply in later quarters.<\/p>\n<p>The average usable floor area of a completed dwelling was <strong>63.1 sq m<\/strong>, down <strong>3.0 sq m<\/strong> year on year. In housing built for sale or rent, the average area was <strong>56.8 sq m<\/strong>, while in individual housing it was <strong>166.9 sq m<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Business_activity_the_company_base_keeps_growing\"><\/span>Business activity: the company base keeps growing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>At the end of April 2026, <strong>196,589 entities<\/strong> were registered in Krak\u00f3w in the REGON register. This was <strong>0.3% more than in March<\/strong> and <strong>4.5% more than in April 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Krak\u00f3w accounted for <strong>37.7%<\/strong> of all registered entities in Ma\u0142opolskie province. The city had <strong>43,173 commercial companies<\/strong>, up <strong>5.7% year on year<\/strong>, and <strong>125,269 sole proprietors<\/strong>, up <strong>4.7% year on year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The largest share of registered entities was in professional, scientific and technical activities, which accounted for <strong>15.3%<\/strong> of all units. Trade and vehicle repair represented <strong>14.4%<\/strong>, while information and communication accounted for <strong>13.2%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The fastest annual growth in the number of entities was recorded in administrative and support services, education, information and communication, health and social work, construction, professional activities and transport. Declines were recorded in water supply and waste management, mining and quarrying, and trade.<\/p>\n<p>In April, <strong>1,109 new entities<\/strong> were registered, while <strong>587 were removed<\/strong> from the register. The number of new registrations was significantly lower than in March, but the net balance remained positive.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Krakow_compared_with_other_large_cities\"><\/span>Krak\u00f3w compared with other large cities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The comparative table in the report shows that Krak\u00f3w remains one of Poland\u2019s largest urban labour markets. Its enterprise-sector employment of <strong>244.1 thousand people<\/strong> was far below Warsaw\u2019s 1.110 million, but higher than many other major cities.<\/p>\n<p>Krak\u00f3w\u2019s average gross wage of <strong>PLN 12,509.32<\/strong> was especially notable. It was higher than Warsaw\u2019s <strong>PLN 11,786.67<\/strong> in the same comparison table, although direct interpretation should be cautious because city-level wage structures depend strongly on sector composition.<\/p>\n<p>Krak\u00f3w also stood out in industrial production. Its industrial output was <strong>19.0% higher year on year<\/strong>, one of the stronger readings among the cities listed in the report. Housing completions were also strong, with the January\u2013April total at <strong>179.3%<\/strong> of the previous year\u2019s level.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Krak\u00f3w\u2019s unemployment rose more visibly than in many large cities, and retail sales were weaker than a year earlier. This confirms that the city\u2019s economic performance is strong in selected sectors, but not evenly distributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Krak\u00f3w entered the second quarter of 2026 with a clearly mixed economic picture. The city recorded strong annual growth in wages, industrial production, construction output and housing completions. At the same time, average employment fell, registered unemployment rose sharply, and retail sales remained below last year\u2019s level. The April data from the Statistical Office in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[2794,2783,2690,70,37,2692,82],"class_list":["post-5560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-confirm","tag-contrast","tag-gap","tag-krakow","tag-machinery","tag-sharp","tag-warsaw"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5560"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5563,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5560\/revisions\/5563"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceo.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}