Working in Poland

Poland prides itself with a stable economy and is, in fact, one of the fastest growing among EU countries. It currently holds the largest economy in Central Europe and the sixth largest in the European Union.

Since joining the EU, Poland has redirected its foreign employment policies including requirements for the issuance of documents for legal employment. Today, citizens of EU countries do not need a work permit in Poland while those of non-EU countries do. The major requirement for securing this permit is a job offer to be secured by the foreigner job seeker from a Polish employer. Lucky for job seeking expats, finding that job in Poland may not be that complicated. The country has a national employment service which anyone can hire, although the agency offers quite limited vacancies. Anyone will stand a better chance exploring the private sector where recruitment agencies abound. Usually, these agencies do not charge for their services but some may do.

Poland’s Top Industries

Expats planning to work in Poland can start their job hunting by looking into several leading industries and sectors. Today, the country’s primary industries are textile, glass, food processing, machine building, iron and steel, shipbuilding, chemicals and coal mining. However, the service sector is currently dominating the local economy and is accountable to 62.3% of the national GDP. It also employs nearly 58% of Poland’s labour force. Other rapidly growing industries in this country include:

• Automotive Manufacturing
• Banking and Finance
• Construction
• Information Technology
• Human Relations
• Management and Business Services
• Education/Teaching English

Average Salary and Work Conditions

In January 2016, the Ministry of Labour declared that the national monthly minimum wage for full time employees will be raised to PLN 1,850 or USD 470 (gross) from PLN 1,000 or USD 255 in 2015. The average monthly salary, on the other hand is PLN 8,140 or USD 2,070 which can still change based on the expatriate’s job category and qualifications. Below are some of the job descriptions in Poland along with their average monthly wages:

Normal working hours in Poland is eight hours per day or maximum of 40 hours per week. A typical daily work schedule is from 8 am until 4 pm from Mondays to Fridays and 8 am until 2 pm on Saturdays. Employees should be entitled to a 15 minute break if they are working more than six hours daily. A 20-day paid annual leave is a privilege extended to those who have worked in a single company for over one year.

 Anyone who works legally in Poland will be working under the Polish labour code, although one may earn his keep by virtue of the civil code but without typical employee privileges and rights such as leaves-of-absence and holidays. Those working illegally could be immediately expelled from the country with all issued visas cancelled.

The Polish Income Tax

Citizen or expat, everyone who works in this country needs to pay personal income tax or PIT. The amount is automatically deducted from a person's monthly salary while the employee's job is to present a declaration to the Tax Office based on data supplied by the employer. Tax exemptions apply but change each year. Thus, it is wise to keep all bills that allow for tax exemptions as anyone could be asked to present them anytime. One may request for a tax number or NIP (Numer Identyfikacji Podatkowej) at the local tax office while those who are self-employed will be required to submit more documents.