HR Services Market 1Q2026
In the first quarter of 2026, the revenues of companies affiliated with the Polish HR Forum increased by 4% year on year, reaching PLN 1.83 billion. The main drivers of the market were temporary work and recruitment, whose results signal a turning point and a return of employers’ optimism
The Polish HR services market recorded a successful start to the year. The combined revenues of companies affiliated with the Polish HR Forum (PFHR) reached PLN 1.83 billion in the first quarter of 2026, representing stable year-on-year growth of 4%. The main driving forces of the sector were temporary work and recruitment services.
Strong position of temporary work
The latest report from the Polish HR Forum, summarizing the results of member companies in the first quarter of 2026 (1Q2026), shows a market based on solid foundations. Temporary work maintained the dominant share in the revenue structure (64.4%).
The temporary work segment grew by 7% year on year, reaching a value of PLN 1.178 billion. The number of temporary workers employed by entities in PFHR reached 86,000 people, recording a clear increase of 14% year on year. Although compared with the end of last year revenues fell by 13%, this is a completely natural phenomenon driven by cyclical seasonality
- Although the quarterly revenue correction of 13% and the drop in hours worked (FTE) of 15% result directly from the calendar and the winter period, the annual indicators are very encouraging – emphasizes Ewelina Glińska-Kołodziej, member of the board of the Polish HR Forum. - The 14% y/y increase in temporary workers, with a stable 1% increase in full-time equivalents (FTE), proves that employment flexibility has become a permanent element of the operational strategies of many companies. A highly important and encouraging trend is that as many as 82% of contracts with temporary workers in PFHR agencies are employment contracts. This proves that on the Polish market we successfully combine flexibility with responsibility and the highest standards of worker protection.
The statistical profile of a temporary worker in the first quarter shows a slight male advantage (52%) over women (48%). Most people performed tasks in the manufacturing sector (61%), and the dominant age group was 26–50-year-olds (46%).
Recruitment on the rise
Positive signals are coming from the recruitment process area. The value of the recruitment market carried out for Polish employers increased by 4% year on year. An even stronger dynamic was recorded in recruitment for foreign employers, where revenues of member companies increased by as much as 9% y/y.
- It is already the third consecutive quarter in which PFHR member companies have recorded a positive trend in the market for recruitment services provided to Polish employers (+4% y/y). This stable upward trend gains additional context if we look at the latest data from the broader market of published job ads. In April, the decline in the number of postings amounted to just 1% year on year, which, given the much stronger downward dynamics in previous months, is a clear signal that the negative trend is slowing. Everything indicates that the market is reaching a turning point, and the outlook for the rest of the year is positive – comments Antonio Carvelli, member of the board of the Polish HR Forum.
- The stable development of the RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) segment shows that employers are consistently building long-term, strategic partnerships in the area of talent acquisition. This segment remains mature and highly concentrated, and its growth is based not only on the large scale of projects, but increasingly on long-term cooperation. It is no longer just projects for the SSC/BPO sector, but also for developing competence centers, IT, engineering, finance, and sales. Poland remains an interesting investment destination for global corporations - adds Szymon Rudnicki, vice president of the board of the Polish HR Forum.
Situation in other HR services: Stability and slight corrections
In the other market segments, the first quarter brought more subdued results and a slight slowdown. This applies, among others, to outsourcing services, whose value fell by 2% compared with the same period last year, reflecting a more cautious approach by companies to structural cost optimization. A similar trend was recorded in international employee secondment – here the decline was 2% year on year (and 10% quarter on quarter), influenced by the challenging regulatory and economic situation in Western European markets.
