The latest Grant Thornton report shows that in April 2026, approximately 265,000 job offers were published on the 50 largest recruitment portals. new job offers – only 1 percent less than a year earlier.
As the authors of the report emphasize, improvement occurs in a difficult environment. The war in Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz increased the risk of energy price increases, and yet companies did not stop recruitment. The minimal decline in the number of announcements suggests that the market may return to growth in the coming months, also thanks to seasonal job offers.
The result is very similar to those from recent years – 265,000. offers in April is a level comparable to the years 2023–2025. We can see stabilization, but at the same time a change in the rules of the game: the offers are more modest and the selection process more demanding.
Big cities offer the most
The recovery is most visible in the largest cities. In six out of ten analyzed agglomerations, the number of offers was higher than a year earlier.
Warsaw still on the podium – 45.7 thousand. offers in April and 24.6 advertisements per thousand inhabitants. They only have a better per capita result Katowice (24.7). It is at the other extreme Łódźwhere the rate is only 7.7 offers per 1,000 inhabitants. The fewest ads appeared in Bydgoszcz and Lublin (approx. 3.4-3.6 thousand), where, in addition, year-on-year declines are still visible.
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Who will find a job? Health care with the highest growth
There is a broad improvement across industries, but the increases are selective. Health care stands out the most – the number of offers increased by 12%. year to year. Demand is growing, among others: on nurses (+14%) i doctors (+13%), although not in all professions – the number of offers for attendants is decreasing.
In professional services, the rebound is symbolic (+2%), but very selective. There are more and more offers for legal advisors and traineesis decreasing for tax advisors and data protection specialists.
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Marketing and the creative industries are showing the first signs of stabilization in a long time, although the picture remains uneven. The number of offers for graphic designers is growingdemand for managerial staff persists, however, the demand for e-commerce marketing specialists is decreasing.
IT remains in the “flat” market mode (-1% y/y). Demand for programmers remains stable, and cybersecurity is growing. Among administrators and management staff however, there is a clear decline in offers.
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IN finances the increase concerns mainly rank-and-file specialists, while the demand for senior positions is slightly slowing down. HR sees a slight declinewith a shift towards more strategic roles.
He looks the worst manual work segment (-5%), although drivers remain an exception – the number of offers remains at a high level. In retail and warehouses, declines reach up to 8-9%..
No more a wide range of benefits
The biggest change is not in the number of offers, but in their content. The average number of benefits in an announcement dropped to five – the lowest level since 2020.
Just a year earlier, employers offered up to seven benefits. Today, they are going back to the basics: private medical care (67 percent of offers), sports packages (51 percent) and training (49 percent).
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At the same time, it is training and flexible working hours that are most limited – the share of offers with training has dropped from approx. 75%. to 49 percent, and with flexible working time from 35 percent. up to 25 percent Companies are returning to the basic benefits package, giving up costly or organizationally difficult solutions.
Expectations towards candidates are also changing
The list of requirements in advertisements is getting shorter. However, this does not mean easier entry into the market.
On the contrary – the importance of experience is growing. Most often, specific professional experience is expected. This is a 68% condition. offers, compared to 62 percent just a few years ago. Education, availability and knowledge of languages are still important, but it is experience that is becoming crucial today.
As the importance of benefits and willingness to finance training decreases, companies are increasingly looking for “ready” employees, limiting investments in long implementations.
This is not the time for the “employee market”
The labor market is stabilizing, but under new rules. Demand is returning to the levels from a year ago, companies are better able to cope with uncertainty, but at the same time they are cutting costs and raising the bar for candidates.
The authors of the report call it a maturing of the market and a shift in the balance in favor of employers. Companies are making more pragmatic recruitment decisions, tailoring them to specific business needs. For employees, especially younger ones, this means the need to gain experience faster and more difficult entry into the labor market.
