Sunday, 26 October 2025
The Job Offer Barometer, prepared by the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów together with the Office of Investment and Economic Cycles, declined in August to 254.9 points from 258.5 in July. This marks the lowest reading since the beginning of the year and reflects continued caution among employers in expanding recruitment. A year earlier, in August 2024, the index stood at 260.4 points.
The decline was modest but broadly based. The only province to record an increase in online job advertisements in August was Wielkopolska. Most other regions reported decreases, with sharper corrections in the south-east, particularly in Podkarpackie, Lubelskie, and Małopolskie, areas that also show higher unemployment. Nationally, the registered unemployment rate, excluding seasonal workers, rose by 0.1 percentage points in July to 5.5 percent, the highest level in more than three years.
Sectoral developments were mixed. Professions requiring education in science or engineering recorded their ninth consecutive monthly increase in job advertisements, though the rise was the weakest to date. Growth was driven mainly by demand for programmers, health and safety specialists, and e-commerce workers. Vacancies for administrative IT roles fell after several months of growth, while opportunities for engineers and system administrators also declined. In construction, job postings have been falling steadily since May, aside from a small increase in July.
In services, education and media saw higher recruitment activity, with education reaching its strongest level of postings since 2005. Tourism, however, registered its sharpest monthly fall since last December, continuing a downward trend that began in late 2024. Logistics also recorded another decline.
Occupations linked to social sciences and law saw limited demand. Modest increases were noted only for graphic designers and lawyers, while real estate, marketing, and finance showed the largest reductions. Marketing in particular fell after six months of steady growth, and real estate dropped following a strong second quarter. Banking and call center jobs remained largely unchanged.
The data indicate that while some recovery is visible in IT and education, overall recruitment momentum remains weak. Employers continue to exercise restraint, reflecting both regional labor market disparities and broader uncertainty in the economic environment.
