Average salary in Poland nears 10,000 zlotys — but most workers earn less

At the start of 2025, the average pre-tax salary in Poland rose to nearly 10,000 zlotys, which at the exchange rate of August 17 amounts to more than 120,000 hryvnias. However, the actual earnings of most workers are significantly below that figure.

This is reported by OBOZ.UA, citing official Polish statistics and experts.

According to the statistics, half of the country’s residents earn 7,690 zlotys — around 92,300 hryvnias. By comparison, the average salary in Ukraine is approximately 30,000 hryvnias, while official statistics from large enterprises and government bodies put the figure at 32,783 hryvnias.

The highest earnings in February of this year were concentrated in the extractive industries, as well as in sectors related to computer infrastructure, data processing, hosting, and website management. According to experts, Poland also has strong demand for specialists in industries oriented toward the domestic market: HoReCa (hospitality and food service), the food industry, retail, and logistics. These sectors generate the greatest demand for foreign labor.

The most difficult situation is in manufacturing, particularly in the processing sector. From January through May, the number of workers in that sector fell by 1.35%, or approximately 32,400 people. The furniture industry has been hit by the crisis: in May it employed only 140,000 people — 4.1% fewer than in the same month of the previous year, and over the five-month period the decline was 3.4%.

The automotive sector is also suffering notable losses. In vehicle and components manufacturing, employment in May fell by 3% year-on-year — to 197,000 workers — and by 3.3% over the January–May period.

Wage growth in Poland has meanwhile slowed. Experts cite the easing of inflationary pressure as the main reason: whereas the consumer price index stood at 104.9% in January–February 2025, this year the figure has dropped to 102.1%. An additional factor has been companies tightening control over costs. The period of double-digit wage growth, according to experts, now appears to be over.