Record wave of layoffs in Poland. Thousands of people at risk, increases year on year [MAPY]

However, the unemployment rate is not the only indicator of the condition of the labor market. The second key is the number of people reported by employers for group layoffs. In addition, there are two more important indicators.

Mazovia is the leader in layoffs

We collected data from almost all 16 voivodeship labor offices (WUP) for this year and 2022-2023. And one thing follows from them: the number of people reporting for layoffs is increasing year by year. In 2022, 26,271 people were at risk of losing their job, in 2024 – 34,191, and in 2025 – 88,053and only until September 2025.

This year the highest number of reports was recorded in the Masovian Voivodeship – 68,227. This is a record jump, because in the same period in 2024, 9,304 people were at risk of dismissal, and a year earlier, 12,863. This sudden increase was caused by layoffs reported in March to the District Labor Office in Warsaw. At that time, two public sector companies reported plans to dismiss 53,299 employees, and four private companies reported plans to dismiss 177 people.

Dr. Magdalena Zwolińska, attorney and partner at the HRLS Zwolińska&Zwoliński law firm, points out that Data from offices do not show the whole truth, although they may indicate a tendency. — It is important to remember that not all planned layoffs are implemented. Notifications are declarations by employers about planned employment reductions, which, in accordance with the law, must be submitted to the labor office before the layoff process begins. Actual layoffs are the number of people who actually lost their jobs. It happens that some companies reduce the number of layoffs. Some of the data may also refer to changes in employment conditions. In practice, there is no dismissal, only a change to the contract, explains Zwolińska.

Andrzej Kubisiak, deputy director of the Polish Economic Institute, also points out that reporting the group layoff procedure does not always mean actual loss of job. — The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy recently emphasized that 65 percent cases involve changing the terms of contractsnot their solution, he explains.

And this is what happened in March in the Masovian Voivodeship, where the restructuring of Poczta Polska and PKP Cargo is responsible for a large number of reports. A voluntary departure program was introduced at Poczta Polska, and the remaining employees received notices of termination, which were accepted in most cases. — Ultimately, the actual scale of group layoffs may be much lower than the initial announcements, explains Katarzyna Nowakowska, spokeswoman for the Voivodship Labor Office in Warsaw. By August 2025, a total of 7,462 people in the Masovian Voivodeship had lost their jobs due to group layoffs.

Andrzej Kubisiak points out that the layoffs at PKP Cargo and Poczta Polska are the result of decisions postponed for years. — If they had started earlier, the restructuring process could have been spread over time and such a large scale of layoffs could have been avoided at once, he adds.

Moreover, companies report the maximum number of employees affected by the procedure, although many of them ultimately remain in the organization. — The banking sector is a great example. These are large companies undergoing restructuring, but most employees find employment in other areas of the organization or group companies. These companies often have their headquarters in Warsaw, which is why the capital is usually quite exposed in the context of these layoffs. What's more, in companies with trade unions, launching the procedure is sometimes necessary to start a dialogue and does not necessarily mean actual layoffs – explains Kubisiak.

Provincial Labor Offices do not reveal the names of specific companies, but indicate the industries to which the applications concern. In the Masovian Voivodeship, most applications come from four sectors: transport and warehousing (e.g. companies dealing in the transport of goods and people, courier services, logistics, warehousing), industrial processing, i.e. plants producing e.g. cosmetics, chemical products, information and communication (IT, telecommunications services, business service centers) and health care and social assistance.

Silesia and Małopolska are still on the podium

The second place in terms of reports of dismissed people is taken by the Silesian Voivodeship. Here, until September 2025 inclusive, companies have announced their intention to part with 5,397 employees. This is a lot, because in the whole of 2024, only slightly more people were reported, i.e. 5,578 people.

Marcin Biernat, deputy director of the Silesian Voivodeship Labor Office, admits that there is currently an increase in both notifications and implementation of group layoffs on the labor market. — However, it should be emphasized that recently a significant number of notifications in the voivodeship concerned notices changing working or pay conditions, and not strictly planned layoffs. Therefore, they may ultimately not be carried out or be significantly limited. Moreover, not all notifications of the intention to make collective redundancies are fully implemented – there are situations in which employers withdraw from previous declarations – explains Biernat.

In the Silesian Voivodeship, most group layoffs concern enterprises from the industrial processing sector – over 70%. The reductions also affected transport and warehousing, as well as administrative services and support activities. Marcin Biernat adds that so far, group layoffs in the “financial and insurance activities” section have been marginal and accounted for only 0.9 percent. everyone. — Currently, we do not have information about planned large layoffs in the finance or banking sector, he adds.

The third, inglorious place in the number of people covered by group layoffs is taken by Małopolska. There, 4,726 people were reported for dismissal, which is 1,684 more than in the entire 2024, and as many as 3,416 more than in 2023. However, as the Kraków Voivodship Labor Office points out, reports may concern persons scheduled for dismissal throughout the country. It may be similar in the province. Masovian Voivodeship, when the notification is made by the head office and includes persons employed in branches. In Małopolska, the peak of notifications also took place in March, with 1,409 people included in the statistics. This month, 481 people were actually dismissed, and by September 2025, a total of 2,461 people had actually lost their jobs under the collective dismissal procedure. However, this is more than in the entire year 2024. At that time, employers lost 2,164 employees in the group layoff procedure. A year earlier, the cuts affected only 832 people.

The data analysis also shows that in previous years, many reports of layoffs occurred in October, a month that the data collected by us does not cover. Dr. Magdalena Zwolińska, attorney and partner at the HRLS Zwolińska&Zwoliński law firm, points out that autumn, but also spring, is a period when companies summarize financial results from previous months and make decisions about possible employment reductions. So October may still surprise us.

The labor market also offers offers

Andrzej Kubisiak thinks that When talking about layoffs, it is worth showing how many job offers there are at the same time. — Restructuring is a natural element of a market economy, but the problem occurs when people have no chance to find new employment. Today, the market is no longer as receptive as after the pandemic, but the number of offers still exceeds the scale of layoffs, says Kubisiak.

Deputy director Biernat also draws attention to this aspect. — It is worth noting that there are still many industries intensively looking for employees. A significant part of job offers is addressed to specialists and blue-collar workers. Most people ready to take up employment are able to find a new job relatively quickly, although it is more difficult than 2-3 years ago – explains Biernat.

And although the registered unemployment rate has been rising slightly for several months, it is influenced by legislative changes. — From June, the unemployed can register outside their place of residence, which was not possible before. So we are dealing with a realistic unemployment rate, explains the expert. — If we refer the number of all procedures to the total number of employees, these values ​​are calculated in per milles, not in percentages. Of course, this does not change the fact that it is a difficult situation, especially for people in smaller towns where the demand for labor is not uniform, explains Kubisiak.

According to forecasts for next year published last week by the International Monetary Fund, Poland will see the unemployment rate stabilize at approximately 3.1%. — Given the economic growth we are experiencing and which is also in the forecasts for the coming years, it is difficult to expect that we will experience an actual collapse on the labor market – sums up Andrzej Kubisiak.

What are the criteria for collective redundancies?

Group layoffs are a special situation in which the employer terminates employment contracts with a larger number of employees for reasons attributable to him. We are dealing with group layoffs if the following conditions are met: the employer employs at least 20 employees, there is a need to terminate employment relationships for reasons not related to the employees [np. likwidacja czy upadłość pracodawcy]by notice given by the employer, as well as by agreement of the parties, and during a period not exceeding 30 days, at least:

• 10 employees if the employer employs less than 100 employees,
• 10 percent employees when the employer employs at least 100 but less than 300 employees,
• 30 employees when the employer employs at least 300 or more employees.