Saturday, 15 March 2025
The latest Polish Labour Market Barometer report by Personnel Service highlights ongoing gender wage disparities in Poland. The data reveals that half of Polish women earn a net salary of up to PLN 4,000, while for men, this figure stands at 36%. Earnings above PLN 7,500 net are received by 10% of men, whereas only 3% of women reach this salary level.
According to data from the Central Statistical Office summarizing 2024, the median salary for men was PLN 513 higher than for women. The median gross monthly wage in the national economy was PLN 6,480.52, with women earning a median of PLN 6,642 and men PLN 6,755. This represents a wage gap exceeding 8%.
The Personnel Service analysis confirms that women are more likely to fall within lower wage brackets. Among employed women, 51% earn below PLN 4,000 net, compared to 36% of men. In the PLN 4,000–4,999 and PLN 5,000–5,999 ranges, women account for 14% and 7% of salaries, while men make up 20% and 10%, respectively. The gap widens in higher salary brackets, where only 2% of women earn between PLN 6,000 and PLN 7,499, compared to 8% of men.
Beyond wages, disparities in leadership positions are also evident. In the first half of 2024, women comprised an average of 35.1% of board members across Europe, an increase of one percentage point from 2023. However, in Poland, women held only 23.4% of supervisory board positions in the largest companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, marking a decline of 2.9 percentage points.
To address these imbalances, new regulations are being introduced. The Ministry of Justice has proposed a directive requiring large listed companies to ensure that at least 33% of management and supervisory board members come from the underrepresented gender. This requirement will apply from July 2026, with an earlier implementation for the largest state-owned companies in January 2026.
Another factor influencing wage disparities is the approach to salary negotiations. Women in Poland are less likely to request a raise, with only one in four planning to do so, compared to one in three men. This tendency may contribute to maintaining existing wage gaps. Additionally, women are more hesitant to apply for job positions unless they meet all the listed criteria, whereas men tend to apply when they meet approximately 60% of the requirements, according to a Harvard Business Review study.
Despite some progress in gender representation at the European level, wage disparities and underrepresentation in leadership roles remain challenges in Poland. Addressing these gaps requires continued regulatory efforts and cultural shifts in salary negotiations and hiring practices.
Source: Personnel Service
