The amount of earnings in Poland depends on many factors, such as industry, position, experience, education and place of residence. In some sectors, such as IT, medicine or finance, salaries are relatively high, while in other sectors they can be much lower.
In cities such as Warsaw, Krakow or Wroclaw, salaries are usually higher than in smaller cities or in the countryside. However, these data are only a general overview of the situation on the labor market in Poland, and are not representative for every industry and position.
It is also worth remembering that the level of remuneration can vary significantly depending on the experience and skills of the employee.
In general, the higher the level of experience and education, the greater the chance of getting a higher salary.
According to statistics, a foreigner who speaks Polish poorly or does not speak Polish at all usually works for a salary close to the minimum.
Avarage salary in Poland 2023
The average salary in the national economy in 2022 amounted to PLN 6,346.15.
The national average in the enterprise sector in April 2023 amounted to as much as PLN 7,430.65. This means that the average gross salary index increased by 12.1% compared to the same period last year, i.e. in April 2022.
According to the data, people from the Mazowieckie voivodeship, where the capital of Poland, i.e. Warsaw earn the most
Minimum wage
From January 1, 2023, and then again from July 1, 2023, there was an increase in the minimum wage in Poland.
The amount of the minimum wage was raised to PLN 3,600. This means that on July 1, 2023, an employee earning the minimum wage will receive over PLN 2,780 net on the employment contract
The minimum hourly rate from July 2023 is PLN 23.50 gross.
Student work in Poland
It is worth noting that if you are a student and under 26, your “gross” and “net” salary are no different! After all, you are exempt from income tax (up to the set limit of PLN 85,528 per year) and you do not pay social security contributions from your salary.
What is the average salary in Poland?
In order to better understand the situation on the Polish labor market, I will present the Average earnings in professions without qualifications and knowledge of the Polish language that can be obtained in Poland assuming a full-time job, i.e. 5 days a week, 8 hours a day.
The data relate to employees starting their career in a given position or having little experience in a given industry. Of course, being an expert with at least 5 years of experience in the industry, you can expect higher earnings than those indicated in my list.
Average earnings in professions without qualifications and knowledge of the Polish language
Warehouseman: receiving, storing, storing and issuing goods (products, parts, tools, raw materials). From PLN 3,800 to PLN 4,600 gross.
Cleaning worker (cleaner): A cleaning person maintains cleanliness and order in all departments and rooms of the workplace. From PLN 3,600 to PLN 4,800 gross.
Dishwasher: Helps in the kitchen in restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, canteens, boarding houses, in catering companies by washing dishes, cutlery, kitchen ; does housework in the kitchen. From PLN 3,600 to PLN 4,200 gross.
Kitchen help: preliminary processing of vegetables, fruits and all raw materials for the production of meals (washing, peeling, cleaning), grinding vegetables, fruits and other raw materials. preparing food in accordance with the cook’s instructions. assistance in portioning and dispensing meals. From PLN 3,600 to PLN 4,800 gross.
Manual packer: Responsible for picking and preparing goods for shipment; deals with the protection of goods against damage during transport to the recipient. From PLN 3,600 to PLN 4,400 gross.
Gardener: deals with the establishment and care of lawns, flowerbeds, discounts, as well as planting, transplanting and caring for trees and shrubs. Prepares the ground, plants, prunes, fertilizes, waters and transplants plants, mows and cares for lawns, performs plant protection treatments. From PLN 3,600 to PLN 4,500 gross.
Collector of fruits, herbs and other plants: Collects mushrooms, fruits, herbs and other plants grown on plantations and growing wild; prepares the harvested mushrooms, fruits, herbs and other plants for sale. and fruit; compliance with environmental protection regulations and recommendations when harvesting mushrooms, herbs and wild fruit. From PLN 3,600 to PLN 4,800 gross.
Average earnings in professions requiring qualifications and without knowledge of the Polish language, e.g.:
Car driver: safe transport of people or goods. Therefore, the driver must know and apply the provisions of the road traffic law, know the construction of the driven passenger car and control its technical condition. From PLN 3800 to PLN 6500 gross.
Truck driver: Supervises loading and unloading and protects the transported cargo against damage, destruction and loss. From PLN 4,000 to PLN 6,800 gross.
Road machinery operator: Operates one or more road machinery, such as: bulldozer, scraper, grader, concrete or asphalt paver; regulates, disassembles and assembles assemblies of road machines, removes defects, carries out technical inspections and current repairs.
From PLN 4,000 to PLN 7,800 gross.
Car mechanic: maintains, performs maintenance and repairs engines as well as assemblies and mechanical systems in passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and other motor vehicles, using diagnostic devices as well as locksmith and assembly tools. From PLN 4,000 to PLN 6,500 gross.
Construction painter: plastering, filling, painting, preparing and mixing paints and mortars, repairing paint coatings and substrates. In small companies, he can also deal with additional duties assigned by the supervisor, e.g. wallpapering. From PLN 3,800 to PLN 5,500 gross.
Electrician: The essence of the profession of an electrician is the assembly, diagnosis and repair of installations, subassemblies and electrical and power devices. From PLN 3,800 to PLN 6,400 gross.
Bricklayer: He erects walls made of bricks, stones, concrete, gypsum, ceramic elements and other building materials, applies plaster layers (lime, cement, resin, alabaster); manufactures stairs, pillars and ceilings, lays linings on the walls. From PLN 3,800 to PLN 5000 gross.
Upholsterer: production and repair of furniture, car and other upholstery. His daily tasks also include accepting orders from clients and setting deadlines for their implementation. From PLN 3,800 to PLN 4,800 gross.
Average wages in occupations with highly skilled work, usually in English.
Programmer: using a special language for creating computer programs. Typically, a programmer knows several languages at a basic level, but specializes in one of them (e.g. HTML, JAVA, PHP, C++). From PLN 8,000 to PLN 12,000 gross.
Tester / QA: an accurate and comprehensive description of errors is required in the first place, which will allow the programmer to reproduce them easily. Accurate description of bugs is undoubtedly a key tester’s skill. However, the ability to program or at least read code can be an asset for the candidate. From PLN 6,000 to PLN 9,000 gross.
UX / UI (ju aj) designer: is therefore responsible for designing the recipient’s experience from scratch. Its goal is to increase the satisfaction of the customer using the product by improving its functionality and usability, providing a product that is easy to use, and ensuring “pleasant” interactions between the customer and the product. From PLN 7,000 to PLN 1,200 gross.
IT Analyst: involves designing logical data models, analyzing system functionality data, building data quality metrics, developing analytical methods based on machine learning, or conducting internal workshops. From PLN 7,400 to PLN 9,600 gross.
Project manager: deals with the development and implementation of projects. It defines their purpose and area, as well as defines the resources that are necessary for their implementation. He is also responsible for issues related to planning and budgeting. From PLN 9,000 to PLN 13,000 gross.
And how much do you earn in your country for a similar position and how does it compare to the salary rates for this position in Poland? Write in the comments!