Innovations in the Polish labor market: what will change for employees from 2026
Kyiv • UNN
From 2026, Poland will see an increase in the minimum wage, the introduction of pay transparency, and new rules for calculating seniority. The fight against mobbing will also be strengthened, along with the digitalization of HR document management.
The Polish labor market is expected to undergo a series of significant changes in 2026, covering everything from minimum wage and pay transparency to electronic document management. The main goal of the changes is to increase social guarantees and implement European directives. This was reported by the resource Inpoland, writes UNN.
Details
From January 1, 2026, the minimum wage will increase to PLN 4806 gross, and the minimum hourly rate will be PLN 31.40. Although the increase is not significant, it will automatically increase surcharges for night hours, severance pay, and social security contributions.
Salary transparency and gender equality
From December 24, 2025, employers will be obliged to indicate the salary amount in job advertisements. They will also be prohibited from asking employees about their earnings at their previous job. Job titles must become gender-neutral. In addition, companies will have to regularly report on the pay gap between women and men to comply with the EU directive by June 2026.
New rules for calculating seniority
From 2026, periods that were previously excluded will be included in the total seniority, including work under civil law contracts, entrepreneurial activity, suspension of activity due to childcare, and work abroad.
Combating mobbing and digitalization
A new definition of mobbing is being introduced, which covers persistent behavior without the need to prove the offender's intent. The minimum amount of compensation for mobbing will be 12 times the minimum wage. In addition, the National Labor Inspectorate will receive new powers, including the possibility of remote inspections, and most HR documentation will be digitized.