Second minimum wage increase - salaries for specialists also on the rise. Celebrations in engineering and administration sectors.

According to the 13th edition of the Antal Salary Report, the average monthly salary for specialists and managers was PLN 15,127 gross, compared to PLN 14,038 gross in the 12th edition of the study. This represents an 8% increase compared to the previous year. 

Minimum wage increases have significantly impacted wage levels in low-paying sectors, while the war in Ukraine has exerted pressure on various economic sectors, including logistics. As a result, salary increases are being experienced by employees in higher positions requiring significant decision-making and soft skills. 

Largest increases in Engineering, smallest in IT 

The largest salary increases are observed in the engineering sector. Specialists and managers in this area could expect a 10% increase compared to the previous year, with average earnings of PLN 11,973 gross. Administration also saw a significant increase of 9%, with an average salary of PLN 9,308 gross. In pharmaceuticals, legal, sales, and marketing sectors, salaries rose by 7%. The smallest increases were noted in the IT sector at 1% (average PLN 19,259 gross) and the HR sector at 2% (average PLN 13,720 gross). 

Average Gross Salary in PLN for specialists and managers by sector 

*In the 13th edition of the report, the senior management category was divided into separate sections for executive management and senior management. Due to the changed methodology, results were not compared with the 2023 average. 

Over the past year, we observed slight salary increases mainly at the lowest and highest positions, largely related to changes in the minimum wage. Employers manage budgets cautiously, considering higher costs associated with maintaining operations and the dynamic market situation, hence variable pay constitutes an increasingly larger part of total compensation. The challenge for companies in Poland and individual employees is to build innovation and implement and utilize artificial intelligence to increase work efficiency, which will allow for more dynamic salary growth - comments Artur Skiba, President of Antal.

A good example of the development of innovation is the engineering sector - there, the trend of salary growth is driven by increasing demand for highly qualified specialists, especially in the area of research and development (R&D). The salaries of middle managers in innovative units in 2020-2021 ranged from PLN 15-20,000 gross per month, and now it is PLN 20-25,000 gross - comments Roman Zabłocki, Business Unit Director, Antal Engineering & Operations.

Upcoming changes in salaries: EU Directive and Pay Audits 

We are entering a new stage in shaping remuneration policies in companies. The European Union Directive on Pay Transparency, which will come into force in the coming years, introduces significant changes that will impact the functioning of almost every organization in Poland. The directive aims to increase pay transparency and counteract pay discrimination based on gender. 

This directive will undoubtedly raise employee awareness of their rights and remuneration. It may lead to greater pressure on employers to ensure pay equality and transparency in pay policies. In light of these changes, companies should prepare to introduce new remuneration practices. It is essential to analyze pay policies for compliance with the directive and consider pay audits. It is worth verifying pay data, job descriptions, pay policies, and other HR documents - explains Karolina Korzeniewska, Strategic Client Advisor, Antal Business Consulting.

Employee needs and employer benefits

Currently, more companies than last year expect a return to traditional offices. The option of remote work is available to 23 percentage points fewer specialists and managers. In optimizing costs, companies are choosing to abandon private medical care for employees (-20 p.p.), fitness cards (-15 p.p.), and company cars (-15 p.p.). Meanwhile, more respondents have the option of taking a loan from the employer on preferential terms (+6 p.p.) and receiving holiday subsidies (+2 p.p.). 

It is worth noting the benefits offered by employers, analyzing their attractiveness from the perspective of employees. The largest discrepancies between the employers' offer and market expectations still concern additional vacation days. As many as 30% of respondents would like to receive such a benefit, but it is not available in the current employer's offer. There are also significant gaps in the areas of additional bonuses and rewards (24%) and commuting subsidies (22%). On the other hand, most employers accurately address their employees' needs in areas such as fitness cards, life insurance subsidies, and relaxation rooms at work - summarizes Artur Migoń, Vice President of Antal.

About the Antal Salary Report 

The "Antal Salary Report" 2024 was prepared based on the analysis of salaries of 4,952 specialists and managers participating in Antal recruitment processes between the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024. These data were verified and supplemented with information from recruitment processes conducted by Antal consultants in 2023, as well as telephone interviews with employers and candidates. 

Report download: https://antal.pl/wiedza/raport/raport-placowy-antal-2024