Entrepreneurs are still complaining about labor costs. And wages will continue to grow

The biggest barrier in the development of Polish companies in 2025 are labor costs, and the second most annoying barrier felt by Polish companies are energy prices – according to the Grant Thornton study.

According to the Grant Thornton study, labor costs are the most burdensome barrier in development for entrepreneurs. As a “strong” or “very strong” will be as much as 81 percent as “very strong”. operating in Poland medium and large companies. A year ago it was 86 percent, so the nuisance of this barrier fell slightly, but it is still high. Only four years ago it was 65 percent.

It was stated that in recent years the situation on the labor market was very variable – in 2024 alone the minimum wage increased as much as twice, and in the nominal approach to Poles' remuneration increased by 9.5 percent. Forecasts for 2025 announce that wages will continue to grow at a similar pace – the Grant Thornton forecast assumes an increase of 8.9 percent. in the enterprise sector.

“It is not surprising that entrepreneurs have just indicated labor costs as the most burdensome barrier that inhibits business development. (…) Poland stands out in this respect from all 32 studies tested – it significantly exceeds the average for the whole group, which amounted to 46 percent, as well as for European countries – at 44 %.” – written.

The second most troublesome barrier felt by Polish companies are energy prices – as a “strong” or “very strong” obstacle in development, it was indicated by 74 percent. respondents. It is also clearly less than a year ago (when this percentage was 83 percent), but definitely more than before the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

It was pointed out that although in 2024 energy prices were not as high as 2 years earlier and many entrepreneurs can count on limits established under maximum electricity prices or support under government programs, they still constitute one of the most troublesome barriers in business development.

“Despite this, Polish entrepreneurs stand out against the background of tested companies in the world and in Europe. As part of this barrier, the average for 32 countries was 50 percent, while among European countries – 49 percent” – written.

On the third place among the barriers in the development of companies in Poland – as in the previous year – economic uncertainty, which is now felt by 69 percent. company managers.

In turn, in fourth place, bureaucracy was among the main brakes in Polish business. The percentage of companies indicating it remained at the level of last year's survey – 56 percent.

The report states that employers are still complaining about the lack of qualified employees on the market. What's more, on 2025 they plan to cut rather than increase employment.

“Our research shows that employers' moods for 2025 have significantly weakened – only 16 percent of medium and large companies plan to create new jobs. This is a clear decrease in relation to the survey ago, when the plans to increase employment had 31 percent of the examined enterprises” – it was written.

In addition, employers constantly see a significant problem with the availability of appropriate candidates for positions in their companies – currently 51 percent complain about the lack of properly qualified employees. surveyed companies, and for 10 percent This is a “very strong” barrier.

The study described in this report conducted at the request of Grant Thornton International as part of the “International Business Report” series. In Poland, since 2020, the study has been conducted by the CATI method (telephone interviews) by Biostat, every year among the owner and board members of 100 medium and large enterprises. The last edition of the study was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024 (PAP Biznes)

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