Salary trends - for whom the pandemic turned out to be good?

On March 29, Antal published the 10th edition of the Salary Report, indicating the level of remuneration for specialist and managerial positions. What are the wages at the moment and what rates will candidates be able to count on in the recruitment processes in 2021?

The Antal salary report indicates that the average salary currently offered to specialists and managers is PLN 12,096 gross per month, which means a decrease by 4% compared to the previous year.

Who benefited the most and who lost during the pandemic?

Antal's analyzes indicated that lawyers were the professional group that benefited the most during the pandemic. Their average monthly remuneration amounted to PLN 12,742 gross, which is an increase of 15% year on year. At the same time, it is a specialization in which earnings are among the highest in Poland. It is only ahead of senior management as well as IT specialists and managers. In addition to attractive remuneration, lawyers also receive an extensive package of benefits, distinguished by them twice as high as the market percentage of people receiving funding for education (32%).

A very good year for both the law firm and in-house lawyers was influenced, among others, by economic situation - changes in tax law and labor law. To meet client expectations, law firms moved entire teams to handle issues arising directly or indirectly from the pandemic. Advising on legal changes related to the anti-crisis shield has gained in importance - comments Agnieszka Tymoszyk, Senior Client Manager, Antal HR & Legal.

SSC / BPO also continued on the upward wave. It is true that the dynamics of salary growth in shared service centers is declining - two years ago the increase was 13%, a year ago only 4%. The last year brought a 7% increase thanks to the average monthly salary of PLN 8,085 gross. The industry is also still the leader in the benefit offer.

The highest drop in wages among the surveyed groups was recorded by representatives of finance and accounting (13%). The situation is the same for senior management - top managers recorded a drop in salaries by 13% - the average monthly salary in this group was PLN 21,966 gross. The decrease in salaries was mainly due to lower realized and assumed results of companies, which directly translate into the amount of bonuses and commissions of the management.

The pandemic affected the group of the highest positions and the group of beginning specialists the most. In the case of the latter, we have seen a large increase in the last few years, while in the second quarter there was a decrease of 25%. On the other hand, senior managers, seeing the market difficulties of companies, knowing the profit and loss account perfectly, consciously lowered their expectations themselves - says Michał Borkowski, Sector Manager, Antal Finance & Accountancy.

Benefits - what are offered by employers and which are most desired by employees?

Not surprisingly, the year of the pandemic brought about a significant increase in remote work opportunities (by 20 percentage points). The possibilities of flexible working hours and days of additional paid leave also slightly increased (an increase by 3 percentage points). Most respondents lost access to a fitness card (decrease by 5 percentage points), as well as a company car and subsidies for meals or holidays (decrease by 4 percentage points). Consequently, restrictions relate to areas or services that are affected by pandemic-related restrictions or result from fewer employees in the offices.

Pandemic or not - we are still observing the employee market in leading areas such as IT, SSC / BPO. Employees must receive the necessary package of non-wage benefits so that the offer of a given employer (in combination with a competitive salary) is attractive and does not encourage change - emphasizes Iwo Paliszewski, CEE Marketing & Employer Branding Manager Antal.

We observe large discrepancies between the actual offer of benefits and the expectations of employees in areas affected by the pandemic. Employers were looking for the necessary savings there - reduction of salaries, bonuses or company car benefits - if there are no meetings and all contacts are remote, who needs a company car? Many employees have been forcibly sent on vacation, so officially there is no need to count on additional vacation days. Despite the relatively large discrepancy, the results are not surprising and mainly focus on flexible hours and home office achieved (mainly due to the pandemic) - even in areas where it was unimaginable or possible to a very limited extent so far - adds Iwo Paliszewski. CEE Marketing & Employer Branding Manager Antal.

Download Antal Salary Report, 10th edition: https://en.antal.pl/insights/report/antal-salary-report-2021

About the study

The Antal 2021 Salary Report was prepared on the basis of 3 sources of knowledge. The first is a survey conducted using the CAWI and CATI method between August 27 and September 16, 2020 on a sample of 2067 specialists and managers from all over the country, representing various disciplines and industries. The second is a study among 315 employers conducted using the CAWI method in December 2020. The third survey was conducted among 956 employees (specialists and managers) conducted using the CAWI method also in December 2020. These data were verified and extended with information from recruitment processes carried out by Antal consultants in 2020, as well as telephone interviews with employers and candidates. The study concerns salaries offered in recruitment processes for specialist and managerial positions, it covers people who have at least 2 years of experience and work in medium and large companies, both Polish and international.