Rising labor costs are the most important challenge for almost half of entrepreneurs

Rising labor costs (e.g. ZUS and taxes) are the most important challenge for 47%. entrepreneurs, for 33 percent this is stress and burnout of employees – according to a report by the Trenkwalder Polska agency published on Monday.

Labor costs and shortage of qualified staff

As indicated in the report, 31 percent considered the most important challenges in the current labor market. entrepreneurs recognized staff shortages and shortages of qualified employees, for 28 percent this is high turnover and difficulties in building employee loyalty, for 23 percent discrepancy between the offered salaries and market expectations, and for 19 percent keeping up with changes in labor law.

A smaller number of companies also indicated, among others: pressure on automation and digital transformation, problems with access to financing and the need to manage hybrid and remote work.

“2025 on the labor market is a year full of contradictions – although Poland is in the top five EU countries with the lowest unemployment (5.4%), the mood among employers is not optimistic,” the report said. The authors of the report added that the fiscal burden of Polish employers consumes an increasing share of companies' revenue each year. They pointed out that the Central Statistical Office employment cost index increased by almost 14% in the fourth quarter of 2024. year to year, which means that during the year labor costs in Polish companies increased by almost 1/7.

The respondents were also asked what caused staff shortages in their companies. The majority, 38.8 percent. employers assessed that this was the result of a lack of candidates with appropriate qualifications. The same answer was given by 29.9 percent. employees. The majority, 48.7 percent. employees, however, indicated that staff shortages are the result of the low attractiveness of the remuneration offered by the company compared to the competition (this answer was chosen by 33.6% of employers). A comparable percentage of employers (30.4%) and employees (29.9%) assessed that the shortages result from high employee turnover.

The report also noted that 38.2 percent companies do not plan to invest in automation or artificial intelligence in the next six months24% that so that in the perspective of more than half a year, and 23.4% is already implementing such solutions. The least, 14.4 percent. plans to do so within six months.

What awaits us in 2026?

“By observing upcoming legislative changes in the scope of PIP rights, which will stiffen the labor market or obligations arising from the EU directive on equal pay, we expect this mood to continue in 2026, when labor costs will continue to rise, competence gaps will widen, and ongoing technological investments will not yet bring tangible and measurable effects. In practice, this means that solutions combining flexibility with predictability are becoming more and more important,” said Ewelina Glińska-Kołodziej, president of Trenkwalder Polska, quoted in the report.

The report by the Trenkwalder Polska agency “Challenges of Employers. Strategies for building employee loyalty” was created in cooperation with the Openfield research studio among 500 employees and 500 employers from the private sector, from 29 industries – including: construction and real estate sector, banking, finance, media and advertising, IT and advanced technologies, industry, trade, transport, forwarding, logistics and business services. (PAP)

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