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Companies Are Pausing Hiring Until the End of Summer. Experts Say It's a Costly Mistake

For years, the summer season has been considered a period of slowdown in the labor market. Many employers postpone hiring decisions, assuming that holidays and lower candidate activity reduce recruitment effectiveness. Meanwhile, the market increasingly shows that August in particular can become one of the most strategic months for workforce planning. Fewer recruitment processes running in parallel, reduced competition for candidates, and the opportunity to prepare the organization for an intensive fourth quarter mean that companies recruiting in summer often gain an advantage that cannot be made up for in the autumn.

What is changing is not so much the scale of hiring as the way recruitment is conducted. Businesses are acting more cautiously, planning further ahead, and increasingly treating HR policy as an element of business strategy rather than merely a response to current needs. This is also confirmed by data from Statistics Poland (GUS). At the end of Q1 2026, Poland had 100,200 job vacancies, 16.7% more than the previous quarter. The job vacancy rate rose to 0.81%, showing that companies continue to report significant demand for workers, even as they recruit more selectively than during the strongest periods of economic growth.

August Changes the Rules of the Game. Fewer Candidates Doesn't Mean Worse Recruitment

The most frequently repeated argument against recruiting in August is lower candidate activity. In practice, however, the market picture is far more complex. Indeed, some people use the holiday period to rest and put off their decision to change jobs until later. At the same time, many employers pause or scale back their recruitment processes, assuming that September will be a better time to start looking.

It is precisely this mechanism that often makes competition for active candidates lower in August than a few weeks later. As a result, organizations that maintain continuity in recruitment can reach specialists and operational staff faster, before the market speeds up again once the holiday season ends. Changes on the candidates' side also matter. The end of seasonal contracts, the end of the academic year, relocations, or the desire to start a new career stage after the holidays mean that precisely in summer, people appear on the market who may no longer be available by autumn.

– In recruitment practice, we don't see the market coming to a halt during the holiday period, but rather a shift in its dynamics. There are somewhat fewer candidates actively looking for work, but at the same time, the number of new processes launched by employers is also falling. From Gremi Personal's perspective as an employment agency, this means that companies recruiting in August too often have greater freedom in choosing candidates and shorter time-to-fill than organizations that only start acting after the holidays – says Anna Dzhobolda, Strategic Advisor in the Recruitment Department at Gremi Personal, an international employment and HR services agency.

The Biggest Risk Isn't Vacation Time, but HR Decisions Made Too Late

The changing economic environment means businesses are approaching workforce planning more cautiously. This does not, however, mean abandoning recruitment. On the contrary — the importance of preparing processes earlier and precisely defining staffing needs is growing.

This is particularly visible in the manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, food, and retail sectors, where the second half of the year brings a rise in orders and greater demand for staff. Organizations that only start looking in September very often compete for the same candidates with many other employers. The result is longer processes, greater wage pressure, and difficulty filling positions within the planned timeframe. The labor market is increasingly unforgiving of delays. Even when a recruitment process runs smoothly, a new employee needs time to onboard, get to know the organization, and reach full productivity. Postponing recruitment until autumn can therefore mean the team will only be ready once the rise in orders has already become a reality.

Increasingly, then, the companies gaining an edge are those that treat summer as a time to prepare for an intense autumn, rather than a period to wait out.

– As an employment agency working with businesses across Poland, we see that the biggest risk today isn't the summer drop in applications, but the postponement of staffing decisions. In practice, this means entering the most competitive time of year alongside dozens of other employers. Companies that plan hiring in advance gain greater flexibility and find it much easier to build teams ready to deliver on fourth-quarter business goals – emphasizes Anna Dzhobolda.

The Data Confirms: the Labor Market Has Not Fallen Into a Summer Lull

At the end of the first quarter of 2026, the number of job vacancies in the economy stood at 100,200, while the National Employment Index (NEI), developed by the Gremi Personal Analytical Center, reached 50 points, signaling a stable market situation. At the same time, the registered unemployment rate held steady at 6.1%, meaning that in many sectors, attracting the right workers still requires well-planned action.

Labor market analyses conducted by the Gremi Personal Analytical Center show that the structure of employment is also becoming increasingly important. In many sectors, foreign workers remain a key complement to the market. In Poland, more than 1.29 million foreigners were covered by social insurance, including more than 860,000 citizens of Ukraine. For companies in manufacturing, logistics, and industry, this means the need to pursue a long-term employment policy and plan recruitment processes sufficiently early.

- The data shows that the labor market today no longer operates on a simple split between "good" and "bad" months for recruitment. Organizational readiness, speed of decision-making, and the ability to anticipate staffing needs matter more and more. We're seeing that the companies achieving the best results don't scale back recruitment in summer — they use this period to build an advantage ahead of the autumn rise in market activity. Recruitment is no longer solely an HR department task. It is increasingly an element of organizational management that directly affects a company's ability to deliver on contracts, maintain customer service quality, or keep production on schedule. That's exactly why August is worth using as a month of preparation, not waiting – adds the expert.

For many organizations, August is a period of relatively quieter operational activity. This is precisely when it's easier to look at staffing needs from a broader perspective and plan hiring without the pressure of current business challenges. More and more companies are moving away from the model in which recruitment only begins once a vacancy appears. It is being replaced by forward planning that takes into account sales forecasts, production schedules, order seasonality, and the development of new projects.

Today, Candidates Judge Not Only the Offer, but Also How the Employer Operates

Candidates' expectations are also changing. The decision to take a new job increasingly depends on more than just salary. What matters is how the recruitment process is run, the pace of communication, and the employer's professionalism.

In practice, this means that even an attractive offer can lose out to the competition if the process drags on too long or the candidate goes for days without feedback. This applies both to specialist positions and to production or logistics workers, where the employer's response time is also becoming increasingly important. From a labor market perspective, this is one of the most significant shifts of recent years.

- Candidates today are far more aware of their position in the labor market. They judge not only employment terms, but also how the recruitment process is conducted. Fast feedback, transparent communication, and efficient decision-making build employer credibility. Gremi Personal's experience shows that organizations able to maintain a high standard of process even during the holiday period achieve higher recruitment effectiveness regardless of the season – emphasizes Anna Dzhobolda.

How to recruit effectively in August? Gremi Personal's experts point to five key rules:

1. Don't wait until autumn to launch recruitment. Lower activity among some employers also means less competition for candidates. In many cases, August offers greater opportunities to reach valuable workers than early autumn does.
2. Treat recruitment as part of business planning. The process of attracting staff should stem from the company's growth plans, sales forecasts, and operational needs — not solely from current vacancies.
3. Shorten decision-making time. Long HR processes increase the risk of losing candidates. Organizational efficiency is becoming one of the most important factors determining hiring effectiveness today.
4. Take care of the candidate experience. Professional communication, process transparency, and regular contact with candidates build the employer's image and increase recruitment effectiveness.
5. Think about competencies for the long term. The most effective organizations don't focus solely on quickly filling a position. They build teams that will support the company's growth in the months and years ahead.

Wage Growth in Poland Slowest Since 2021 as Labor Market Loses Pay Momentum

In Poland, wage growth is clearly slowing and in the first quarter of 2026 reached its lowest level since 2021. This follows from an analysis of the quarterly NEI (National Employment Index), prepared by the analytical center of the international recruitment company Gremi Personal. The data point to a gradual easing of wage pressure after several years of elevated pay growth.

Wage dynamics at a four-year low - a clear slowdown in growth

According to data based on statistics from the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the average salary in the enterprise sector in the first quarter of 2026 was PLN 9,263.5 gross, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.3%. This is the lowest growth rate since the first quarter of 2021.

By comparison, in 2023–2024 wage growth remained at a level of 10-13% per year. This was a period of strong inflationary pressure and fierce competition for workers, when companies were forced to raise pay dynamically to retain staff and attract new employees. That dynamic is now clearly weakening, indicating that the labor market is moving from a phase of intense wage competition to a more balanced cost model.

From competing for workers to controlling costs

A significant shift is now noticeable in human-resources management strategy - away from a model based on rapidly raising wages amid a shortage of workers, toward an approach focused on cost stabilization and greater budget predictability.

As Evgenij Kirichenko, founder of the Gremi Personal Analytical Center, points out, Poland's labor market is gradually emerging from a phase of overheating. Wages are ceasing to serve as the main tool for competing for workers, and companies are increasingly focusing on maintaining profitability and controlling operating costs.

Inflation and the minimum wage as market-stabilizing factors

One of the key factors behind the slowdown in wage growth is the decline in inflationary pressure. At the start of 2025, Poland's CPI stood at 104.9%, while in January and February 2026 it fell to 102.1%. This means a significant reduction in cost pressure in the economy, which automatically reduces the need for aggressive wage increases. At the same time, the relationship between inflation and wage growth remains relatively favorable for workers, as real income continues to rise, albeit more slowly than in previous years.

The minimum-wage policy also plays an important role. Since January 1, 2026, it has increased by 3%, or PLN 140, to PLN 4,806 gross. A year earlier the increase was 10%, which had a much stronger impact on overall wage dynamics in the economy. The current scale of the increase is clearly lower.

Corporate caution and changing employee behavior

The slowdown in wage dynamics is also being driven by economic uncertainty and a more cautious approach by companies to hiring. In many industries, businesses are limiting recruitment or postponing decisions to expand headcount, which reduces competitive pressure in the labor market.

Evgenij Kirichenko points out that employment in the corporate sector is gradually shrinking, which reduces the need to compete for workers through rapid pay increases. At the same time, employees are increasingly inclined to stay in their current jobs, even at the cost of slower wage growth.

Global factors are increasingly affecting the market situation. Escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf region are affecting energy commodity prices, which is reflected in inflation data.

The CPI rose from 2.1% in January and February to 3.0% in March and 3.2% in April 2026. This signals the return of moderate inflationary pressure, which in the coming quarters may once again influence companies' wage decisions.

Strong sectoral variation in wage dynamics

Despite the overall slowdown, the situation varies clearly across sectors. The highest wage growth is recorded in logistics, where average pay rose by 8% to PLN 9,446 gross. This is due to persistently high demand for warehousing services and the development of logistics infrastructure in Poland. In the machinery industry, growth was 6.5%, a level close to the economy-wide average. The sector remains stable, with wage dynamics driven mainly by continued demand for technical workers. In the production of electronics and optical devices, wages rose by 7% to PLN 9,988, while in the production of other transport equipment they rose by 8.5% to PLN 10,300.

In the automotive industry, the average wage rose by 6.3% to PLN 9,982, although this is largely due to workforce optimization and companies' focus on retaining key specialists while reducing operational positions.

In construction, wages rose by 6.8% to PLN 8,654, alongside a decline in employment. Seasonal factors also affect the dynamics, including weaker activity in February and a rebound in March.

The lowest wage growth was recorded in the food industry, where it stood at 4.6%, reaching PLN 7,728, with minimal employment growth. According to the analysis, this may be the result of earlier accelerated hiring and pay increases at the end of 2025.

Outlook: moderate growth amid rising external uncertainty

According to forecasts, by the end of 2026 the Polish labor market will remain in relative balance between employers and employees, although its stability will increasingly depend on external factors such as inflation, energy prices, geopolitical tensions, and the pace of economic slowdown.

In this environment, moderate but steady wage growth of 6-8% per year is expected, with a gradual continued easing of wage pressure in most sectors of the economy.

Technology in hiring strategy. The NEI report shows what actually influences decisions of Polish companies today

Recruitment is slowing down, and companies are becoming increasingly cautious about expanding their teams. However, the latest edition of the National Employment Index (NEI), prepared by the Gremi Personal Analytical Centre, points to a shift of far greater significance than current fluctuations in the business cycle. For the first time, artificial intelligence and automation have made it into the top five challenges cited by entrepreneurs. This is a signal that technology is starting to be factored in not only in investment strategies, but also in how companies plan the organization of work and future staffing needs.

Discussions about the labour market usually focus on the number of new jobs, wage growth, or the scale of recruitment. Meanwhile, the NEI report data point to a process that isn't visible in employment statistics alone. The way companies make staffing decisions is changing more and more noticeably. Alongside economic factors, the assessment of organizational productivity, availability of competencies, and the impact of new technologies on the business model is playing an increasingly important role.

This does not mean a sudden shift or a revolution in the labour market. It is rather the beginning of a gradual change in priorities which, while visible today mainly in corporate strategies, may increasingly affect the employment structure in the coming years.

A neutral index reading does not mean an absence of change

The National Employment Index reached a level of 50 points in the first quarter of 2026 - a value representing a balance between factors supporting employment growth and those limiting it. However, the result alone does not provide a complete picture of the situation. The data making up the index, and the behaviour of companies observed in recent months, say far more.

The survey shows that 62.5% of companies plan to maintain their current level of employment. 25.7% of businesses report plans to increase staff numbers, while 11.8% expect job cuts. This response pattern does not point to a labour market collapse, but it does confirm that staffing decisions are being made far more cautiously than during a period of strong economic growth and fierce competition for workers.

Technology is not an IT project

One of the most interesting conclusions of the report is the shift in the place technology occupies in corporate strategies. For the first time, artificial intelligence and automation have been included among the five most important business challenges. The report's authors note that some employment optimization processes are increasingly driven not only by macroeconomic conditions, but also by the implementation of new technologies.

This marks a significant shift in interpretation. The report does not indicate that artificial intelligence is becoming a direct cause of job cuts, nor does it suggest a rapid replacement of workers with technological solutions. Instead, it shows that companies are increasingly analysing decisions about work organization in parallel with decisions on technology investment. In practice, this means that workforce planning is becoming part of a broader corporate development strategy.

The way of thinking about organizational growth is changing

For many years, competitive advantage was built primarily through rapidly scaling up operations, hiring workers, and maintaining strong growth momentum. The current economic environment is pushing companies toward a different approach. Greater importance is now placed on resource efficiency, organizational resilience to market volatility, and the ability to adapt business processes.

In this context, the decision to create a new position is increasingly becoming part of a broader analysis that includes not only operational needs, but also opportunities for automation, the use of digital tools, and the development of employee competencies. This does not mean human capital is becoming less important. On the contrary - the value of qualifications that allow people to function in an environment where technology supports an ever-growing number of processes is increasing.

Industry is the first to feel the effects of structural change

The report indicates that the greatest pressure is currently concentrated in industrial sectors, particularly those heavily dependent on exports and energy costs. Employment in the automotive industry fell by 3.4% year-on-year, while the furniture industry saw a 3.2% decline. Analysts stress that these developments are part of broader changes taking place across European industry and should not be interpreted solely as the effect of a short-term economic slowdown.

It is precisely in these industries that investment in automation, robotics, and digital solutions has for years been among the key tools for improving competitiveness. As a result, employment decisions are increasingly linked to a long-term strategy of enterprise modernization.

NEI shows a shift in corporate priorities

The most important signal from the latest edition of the Gremi Personal Analytical Centre's NEI is not a single indicator or a single business decision, but the direction of change visible in how organizations plan their development.

"For the first time, we are seeing a situation in which entrepreneurs have identified artificial intelligence and automation as one of the most important business challenges. And we are not saying that technology is replacing people today. What it shows is that decisions about work organization are increasingly being analysed in parallel with technology investments. Companies no longer plan their growth solely through the lens of headcount. The way competencies are used, process productivity, and an organization's ability to function in a changing economic environment are becoming increasingly important" - emphasizes Tomasz Bogdewicz, CEO of Gremi Personal.

The data from the NEI report do not point to a sudden overhaul of the labour market, but rather present a gradual change in the way companies make decisions. This shift in emphasis could prove to be one of the more significant processes shaping the labour market in the coming years.