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Pay and working conditions in European countries

Poland

Country: Poland

Unemployment in Poland was 3.1% in 2025 – about half the EU average – and the minimum wage is PLN 4,806 gross a month (2026). The official forecast lists 17 shortage occupations, from doctors, nurses and teachers to drivers, welders and electricians. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and what to register in your first weeks.

Minimum wage: PLN 4,806 gross a month, and a minimum hourly rate (minimalna stawka godzinowa) of PLN 31.40 gross – both from 1 January 2026.
Contract: you must receive a written employment contract (umowa o pracę) – or a written confirmation of its terms – before you start work. Check which type of contract you are offered: the rules below apply to employment contracts.
Working time: up to 8 hours a day and on average 40 hours a week. Including overtime, you may work on average no more than 48 hours a week, and you are entitled to at least 11 hours of rest every day.
Overtime: at most 150 hours a year for the employer’s particular needs. You get a 100% bonus for overtime at night, on Sundays and public holidays, and a 50% bonus on other days – or time off instead (hour for hour if you ask for it, 1.5 hours per hour if the employer decides).
Holidays: 20 days of paid leave a year if you have been employed for less than 10 years, and 26 days after that. A university degree counts as 8 years towards this period.

published: 2014-09-03
last modification: 2026-10-03

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Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.

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