Inflation with the Polish "New Deal" a spiral of increases - but not for everyone

Rapidly rising inflation and the introduction of the Polish Order are increasing wage expectations. Really attractive money will flow only to the few, which include, among others, IT specialists and managers enter. The expectations in this sector increased by an average of PLN 2,900 net over the last year.

According to the latest Antal Market Research survey conducted on a sample of 878 respondents currently working in the IT area, as many as 88% of specialists and managers have increased their financial expectations in the last 12 months. The time is now approaching for wage indexation, and the pressure of employees is really visible. Women expect PLN 2,170 net per month on average, and men PLN 3020 net. As for the level of the position held, the highest salary increases are expected by seniors - PLN 3349 net. And 28% of all surveyed specialists and managers raised their expectations by more than PLN 4,000 net.

Main reasons for rising expectations

The growing expectations result from several simultaneous factors - but the strongest of them is rising inflation, as indicated by more than half of the respondents. 69% of the surveyed IT specialists have already talked about their growing expectations with the employer. Only 10% of the request for a raise was rejected, 15% was accepted, but deferred in time. On the other hand, most of the respondents have already received pay raises. Among people who received an increase in remuneration, as many as 29% received it in an amount greater than PLN 4,000 net.

The presented results show that the current inflation situation and the introduced tax changes are clearly reflected in the financial expectations of the candidates. IT is one of the industries where the increase was the fastest. This is probably due to the fact that it is the IT sector that is one of the areas in which B2B is the most frequently chosen form of cooperation, and the new regulations will burden this area the most. The conducted survey shows that the average increase in expectations was recorded at the level of 3 thousand. PLN, but it is worth emphasizing here that in talks with specialists there will also be much higher increases, even 8-10 thousand - emphasizes Karolina Bucka, Team Leader, Antal IT Services.

More hikes on the horizon

57% of respondents plan to submit an increase application in the next 3 months in connection with rising inflation and the introduction of the Polish Order. 1/3 of the respondents are people who have already received a raise in the last 12 months and are now planning to ask for another one. The average amount for which the respondents intend to apply is PLN 2,170 net.

In sectors where there is a high demand for employees, wage pressure is growing on employers who are able to offer a specialist even twice the salary. In Poland, this phenomenon can be noticed in the construction industry, the IT industry and business service centers. In addition, remote work has opened up the international market for Polish specialists.

The demand of the Polish labor market for specialists in the IT industry is high and is constantly growing. In times of pandemic, this increase is even more evident. The boundaries are blurring, it is possible to work remotely without the need to relocate, and therefore companies are looking for candidates not only within Poland. Enterprises are more and more open to specialists from abroad. According to the report “IT Market Snapshot Q1” 2021 In the first quarter of 2021, a total of 13,789 job offers for IT specialists were published. According to the Antal Salary Report, managers and specialists in this industry, with a gross result of PLN 14,058, are - apart from the management staff - the best-paid employees in Poland and beyond, and the data from the last two quarters show that this remuneration is constantly increasing. There is a visible employee market in this industry - comments Sandra Zborowska, Senior Consultant, IT Services Antal.

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About the survey: The survey was conducted by Antal Market Research using the CAWI method on a sample of 878 respondents currently working in the IT area on November 22-26, 2021.