Labour market in Poland shows signs of stabilization and growth
The Labour Offers Barometer, a measure of changes in the number of online job postings, recorded an increase in February for the second consecutive month. The index, prepared by the Department of Economics and Finance at WSIiZ in Rzeszów and the Office of Investments and Economic Cycles, suggests that 2024 has started on a slightly stronger footing compared to the previous year. Since reaching a low point at the end of 2023, the number of job listings has grown modestly, with the job market stabilizing after experiencing fluctuations between mid-2020 and late 2023.
While some industries remain cautious about resuming large-scale hiring, sectors requiring expertise in science and engineering have shown renewed activity. Certain categories within these fields have seen a rapid increase in job postings, though overall vacancies remain low following significant declines in recent years. In contrast, job postings in social and legal sciences have remained relatively unchanged for the past year, with some professions still facing limited hiring opportunities. Meanwhile, the services sector has stabilized after a temporary decline, and demand for physical labor remains strong, with job availability still higher than in previous years. The registered unemployment rate, excluding those engaged in seasonal work, remained steady at 5.1% from the previous month.
February saw an increase in online job postings in most Polish voivodeships, particularly in regions with higher unemployment rates. The largest growth in job listings occurred in the Podkarpackie, Opole, and West Pomeranian voivodeships, while minor declines were observed in the Silesian and Łódź regions.
Among professional sectors, science and engineering roles recorded the highest increase in new job advertisements, marking the third consecutive month of growth. However, despite this upward trend, the number of vacancies in these fields remains below pre-2020 levels after years of decline. Similarly, demand for workers in physically demanding jobs saw an uptick in February, reversing a four-month period of decline. Although there has been some fluctuation, vacancies in this sector remain above levels last seen in April 2022, when job postings across the market peaked.
The services sector also saw a modest rise in employment advertisements after experiencing a significant drop in previous months. While job postings in service-related fields have fluctuated, they remain relatively high compared to previous years. In contrast, vacancies for professionals in social and legal sciences remained largely unchanged from the previous month. After a downward trend slowed at the beginning of last year, hiring activity in these fields has stabilized at a low but steady level.
Within the social and legal sciences, the highest increase in job postings was observed for hotline operators, human resources specialists, and banking professionals. However, these gains appear to be adjustments rather than signs of sustained growth. Conversely, hiring slowed in company procurement roles, real estate, and customer service positions. Company procurement vacancies have declined for five months at a significant rate, while job opportunities in the real estate sector have returned to 2023 levels after a brief surge in early 2024. Marketers, financial analysts, HR specialists, and sales professionals also faced declining job postings, though the drop was less pronounced for legal professionals. The only category showing consistent long-term growth in postings has been customer service, where job openings have steadily increased for over a year.
For science and engineering graduates, February saw a notable rise in job listings for programmers, continuing a three-month upward trend. However, vacancies remain lower than during the post-pandemic recovery in the IT sector. Job postings also increased in construction and engineering, particularly after last year’s downturn. The construction industry has shown consistent demand for workers for over 18 months, apart from a minor correction at the end of 2023. However, hiring in research and development and e-commerce declined in February.
The service industry experienced job reductions only in tourism, which saw its fourth consecutive month of decline in job postings. However, this dip is considered a temporary adjustment within an overall upward trend, as vacancies in the sector remain relatively high compared to previous years. The media industry recorded the most significant monthly increase in job postings, reversing a prolonged period of decline. Other service-related roles also experienced growth, with continued demand in the freight forwarding industry, though there were declines in other logistics-related fields.
Overall, the Polish labor market is showing signs of stabilization, with job postings rising in key sectors, particularly in science, engineering, and physical labor. While some industries remain cautious, the general trend indicates a slow but steady recovery in employment opportunities.
