Many professions emerge from pandemic with higher wages in Poland

Workers in a number of professions in Poland have seen their wages rise as a result of the pandemic, including those employed in IT, logistics and accounting.

According to Poland’s official statistics body (GUS), in March average monthly wages at medium and large enterprises (hiring at least nine workers) had increased by 8% year-on-year (though employment had dropped by 1.3%).

The figure was slightly below the record level of 5,973 zloty (€1,308) from December 2020, which was elevated by Christmas and end-of-year bonuses.

The largest nominal year-on-year increase in wages in February (sector-specific data is not yet available for March) was recorded by IT specialists and journalists, with a rise of 503 zloty (€110) on average.

The next largest increase – of 453 zloty – was seen by workers at coke plants (companies such as JSW) and refineries (such as Orlen and Lotos), as well as other energy sector workers.

The largest proportional year-on-year increase was seen by employees in electrical appliance manufacturing, with a 7.95% rise to 6,008 zloty, followed by the production of electronic devices, with a 7.4% increase to 6,114 zloty.

The highest wages – 11,100 zloty (€2,430) on average – were made by miners, who receive numerous benefits and have lobbied for annual wage increases despite the sector recording losses. Next came the IT and communications sector (9,810 zloty) and coke plant and refinery workers (8,670 zloty), according to GUS.

The pandemic, which has encouraged more remote work, has spurred greater demand for services in a number of sectors, according to an analysis by Faktura.pl, an online accountancy service that serves over 50,000 small businesses.

According to Grzegorz Grodek, head of faktura.pl, there have been industries that have “fallen sick” but “acquired antibodies” as a result, including the construction sector and bookstores. There have also been those spared by the pandemic, such as car services and legal offices.

Then, there are those that have benefited from the pandemic. There has been a greater need for employees working in the IT sector to help with data processing and website management, as many stores and restaurants expanded online retail and delivery services.

“Remuneration of digital directors, managers, marketers and people specialising in the development of e-commerce and data analytics increased during the pandemic,” Paulina Łączek-Ciećwierz, president of the recruitment company RICG, told Business Insider Polska.

Moreover, more people have enlisted the help of accountants and tax consultants, as businesses scrambled to make use of state aid to counter the economic fallout of the pandemic.

The accounting and tax sector issued 153% more invoices in February 2021 than in the same month last year, according to Grodek. “Perhaps the difficult situation in many industries also required support in seeking financing,” he told Business Insider.

There has also been increased demand for those working in the pharmaceutical industry, logistics and housing, as Poland experiencing a housing boom.

“Demand for employees of call centres and logistics and distribution centres related to the trade industry has also increased, which is mainly due to the changes to shopping and the shift of customers online,” said Iwona Szmitkowska, head of the Work Service recruitment agency.

Salaries have also increased in industry, as the sector catches its breath after a year of intermittent lockdowns. In March this year, the average monthly salary increased by 8% year-on-year, and the growth rate was faster than in previous months, according to GUS.

Main image credit: lukasbieri/Pixabay (under Pixabay License)

Maria Wilczek

Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.