September Labor Market News Summary

From the entry into force of the whistleblower protection act, through Germany signing migration agreements with two more countries, to several signs of a slow shift in market trends — September was an eventful month for the Polish labor market. Below we summarize the most important news for Polish employers.

Is the employee's market over? There are far more candidates than 2–3 years ago

The number of applications for job offers is growing disproportionately faster than the number of job postings. More than 70% of candidates are eliminated at the initial stage of recruitment, mainly due to sending irrelevant applications — a result of the increased number of people available on the labor market. The IT, marketing, and e-commerce sectors are particularly burdened by an influx of mismatched applications, while sectors such as manufacturing and green energy still face a shortage of suitable candidates.

More information in the article

The Whistleblower Protection Act has entered into force

On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, the Whistleblower Protection Act entered into force. These regulations, published in the Journal of Laws on June 24, implement the EU directive on the protection of persons reporting violations of Union law. Under these provisions, thousands of companies and public entities were required to establish channels for reporting legal violations and develop new procedures. Every organization should ensure it has implemented appropriate procedures in line with the new regulations to be ready for these obligations.

Full details at prawo.pl

The number of students combining study with work has risen by 18%

The number of students combining temporary work with study has risen by 18% over the year, particularly in large cities such as Warsaw and Kraków. They find employment mainly in retail, food service, and logistics, taking advantage of flexible schedules adapted to their classes. The number of foreign students working in Poland is also growing — in the 2023/2024 academic year they numbered over 107,000, with the largest groups coming from Ukraine and Belarus.

Find out more here

Foreigners want to work in Polish warehouses

An increasing number of foreigners are taking up employment in Poland's logistics sector, especially in locations with good infrastructure and transport access. Companies attract workers by offering competitive wages, accommodation, and organized transport — particularly important for foreign nationals. Especially popular locations include Warsaw, Upper and Lower Silesia, Central Poland, Wielkopolska, and the Tri-City (Trójmiasto).

Details in the article at dlaprodukcji.pl

Germany has signed migration agreements with Kenya and Uzbekistan

Facing a shortage of workers, Germany signed migration agreements with Uzbekistan and Kenya, enabling an inflow of skilled labor. The agreements also cover repatriation issues, aimed at curbing uncontrolled migration. Previously, Germany had signed similar agreements with Georgia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Morocco, Moldova, and Nigeria.

Full information in our article

Summary

The entry into force of the Whistleblower Protection Act requires Polish employers to put appropriate procedures in place. In addition, we are seeing the first signs of a trend reversal in the labor market — the number of applications is growing much faster than the number of job postings, and the logistics sector is only becoming more attractive in the eyes of both Polish and foreign workers. The coming months may bring many unexpected changes.