GUS: labor market in the first half of 2026
Labor market in the first half of 2026: Average employment, unemployment, and group layoffs
Statistics Poland (GUS) has published the latest data on the situation in the Polish labor market. The analysis of indicators for the first half of the year and June 2026 points to slight decreases in average employment in the enterprise sector and an increasing year-on-year number of registered unemployed.
Average employment in the enterprise sector
In the first half of 2026, average employment in the enterprise sector amounted to 6,377.1 thousand people and was 1.1% lower compared to the same period last year.
In June 2026 alone, the employment level stood at 6,375.3 thousand, which means:
a decrease of 0.9% y/y (for comparison: in May this year, the decline was the same, while in June last year it reached 0.8%).
Employment changes in individual industries and sections
The situation in individual sectors of the economy was varied. The largest decreases were recorded in the mining sector, while waste management and the HORECA industry saw increases.
Section / Branch of economy | Change in employment (y/y in H1 2026) |
Mining and quarrying | -4.8% (deepest decrease) |
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | -1.4% |
Transportation and storage | -1.1% |
Construction | -1.1% |
Manufacturing | -1.1% |
Administrative and support service activities | -1.0% |
Real estate activities | -0.8% |
Information and communication | -0.7% |
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles | -0.6% |
Accommodation and food service activities | +1.9% |
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | +3.2% |
Registered unemployment and unemployment rate
The registered unemployment rate in June 2026 was 5.8%.
This represents a decrease of 0.1 percentage point on a monthly basis (m/m) and an increase of 0.7 percentage point on a yearly basis (y/y).
At the end of June 2026, 901.5 thousand unemployed were registered in labor offices. This number is:
1.6% lower compared to May 2026,
13.1% higher compared to June of last year.
Let us remember that the increase in the number of unemployed is largely influenced by legal changes from June 2025, including the possibility of registering at the place of residence rather than registered permanent address.
Group layoffs and announcements of job cuts
June brought increased activity in the area of declared job cuts:
Planned layoffs in June: 28 workplaces declared their intention to lay off 3.1 thousand employees (of which 1.5 thousand were from the public sector). This scale was higher than in May this year, but smaller than in June last year.
Total group layoffs: At the end of June 2026, a total of 198 workplaces declared their intention to carry out group layoffs covering 20.7 thousand employees (including 2.5 thousand people in the public sector).
Average salary in the first half of 2026
In the first half of 2026, the average monthly gross salary in the enterprise sector (in entities employing more than 9 people) amounted to PLN 9,337.14.
Nominal growth: amounted to 5.8% on a yearly basis (for comparison: in the corresponding period of 2025, the increase reached 8.7%).
Real growth (purchasing power): the real value of wages increased by 3.0% y/y.
Average wage in June 2026
In June 2026 alone, the average monthly gross salary in the enterprise sector stood at PLN 9,401.58.
Nominal change (y/y): an increase of 5.9% compared to June last year (for comparison: in May this year the increase was 5.8%, and in June last year it reached 9.0%).
Real wage growth: the purchasing power of wages in June increased by 3.3% y/y.
