ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Q4 2026

From October to December, 32% of organizations plan to expand their teams, while 15% declare staff reductions. In the final quarter of this year, more than half (51%) of Polish employers do not plan any changes to their employment structure. In the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey report published today, employers revealed their recruitment plans for the fourth quarter of 2026. Companies from eastern Poland predict the greatest recruitment appetite. Candidates in the construction & real estate and industrial production industries will be able to count on the most professional opportunities.

According to the ManpowerGroup report published today regarding organizations' recruitment plans for the next quarter, 32% of companies from the Vistula river declare new recruitment, while 15% plan staff reductions, and 2% have not yet made personnel decisions. The net employment outlook, reflecting the recruitment sentiment of employers in Poland, is +18%. This result increased both on an annual (+7 p.p.) and quarterly (+2 p.p.) basis.

– After a strong start to the year and high employment forecasts, there came a period of slight slowdown, so that in the final quarter the labor market entered a phase of relative stabilization – says Tomasz Walenczak, General Manager of ManpowerGroup Poland. – Looking at the results of our study, we can see that the percentage of employers who forecast staff reductions has decreased, while there are more companies wishing to maintain their current number of employees. This is pleasing, as it proves a sense of stability, confidence in the adopted strategy, and the market situation. Employers planning team reductions point, among other things, to changes in demand resulting from seasonality, job optimization, but also to the impact of automation. Streamlining work with the help of new technologies naturally reduces the demand for some positions. Redundancies are also sometimes caused by uncertainty related to the geopolitical and economic situation – adds the expert.

Eastern Poland leads the recruitment charge

From October to the end of December 2026, companies throughout Poland predict team expansion. The East became the leader among all regions of our country, with a forecast of +27%. Slightly lower demand for new talent is declared by companies from the North (+25%), North-West (+24%), and South-West (+22%). On the other hand, employers from the Center (+17%) and South (+7%) show slightly less optimism. It is worth emphasizing, however, that candidates in these regions will also be able to count on many new professional opportunities.

– Employers located in the east, north, and north-west of our country declare the highest recruitment forecasts for autumn and early winter of the ending year. It is there that the previously mentioned investments, but also logistics and warehouse hubs, are located. And the approaching Christmas season and Black Friday naturally generate demand for hands to work – says Tomasz Walenczak.

Construction & real estate lead among industries

Candidates looking for employment in the construction & real estate (+25%), industry & raw materials (+24%), as well as retail & logistics (+21%) sectors will be able to count on the most job offers. Among the sectors characterized by the greatest recruitment optimism were professional, scientific & technical services, as well as hospitality, catering & tourism, with an identical employment forecast of +16%. Slightly fewer new employment opportunities can be expected by people in the area of finance & insurance (+14%), utilities & raw materials (+11%), technology & IT (+12%), as well as the public sector, healthcare & social services (+8%). Organizations operating in the information & communication industry, as the only ones among all surveyed sectors, forecast staff reductions (-6%).

– The high employment forecast in the retail, logistics, and industry sectors results primarily from seasonal increases. The expansion of teams in construction and real estate is a consequence of the high scale of investments. This is a sector that will need workers in the final months of the year. This is the aftermath of many infrastructure, energy, industrial, and transport projects carried out in Poland in parallel. Long-term investments generate continuous and high demand for many specialists. All this, in an era of talent shortage, a lack of people with desired qualifications, makes companies plan to expand employment, and candidates can count on many new offers – adds the General Manager of ManpowerGroup Poland.

Employers in Poland focus on growth and maintaining market position

Companies from the Vistula river want to acquire new talent mainly in connection with the development of the organization (54%), which naturally generates the need to create new roles and positions (30%). Employers also fill vacancies resulting from employee turnover (21%).

On the other hand, redundancies are most often a response to the current, reduced demand for products or services (31%). They also result from implemented automation, which has reduced the demand for certain positions (26%), and the economic situation negatively affecting companies' staffing needs (26%).

Organizations that do not plan personnel changes indicate that the current employment level is sufficient to effectively achieve business goals (38%). They also declare that their current priority is to maintain the current level of employment (30%). They also emphasize the stability of the market situation (26%).

Czechs expand teams, Slovaks slow down hiring

The Manpower report shows that the net employment outlook for Europe is at a level similar to that declared by employers from the Vistula, amounting to +20%. Analyzing the data relating to neighboring countries, it can be noticed that candidates from the Czech Republic (+25%) will be able to count on the most job offers. Slightly lower demand for talent is declared by companies located in Germany (+15%). On the other hand, very few new professional opportunities will appear in Slovakia (+3%).