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The record-low unemployment results in the consistently growing demand for human resources from behind our eastern border. The new regulations, in force since January of this year, and the new category of simplified seasonal work permit were supposed to assist employers. However, it turned out that employment agencies are not yet ready to embrace the changes. The number of declarations processed every day can sometimes be ten times lower than before.

The earnings of women working in the same positions as men are lower, they are less willing to start their own companies and less often perform managerial roles. This is a global problem faced by the largest world economies. In Poland, despite the fact that managerial positions are in 40% occupied by women, their earnings are much lower than those of men. Together with the spreading popularity and significance of start-ups, it is easier for women to enter the labour market and find their way to sectors which previously were considered to be typically male. This is facilitated by the numerous competitions organised for women’s start-ups and a growing number of women performing the roles of business angels.

The number of vacancies is growing, having reached nearly 120,000 jobs by late 2017. Employees from the East are no longer able to make up for this shortage. That’s why more and more businesses are recruiting employees from such Asian countries as Nepal, India or Bangladesh. But experts suggest we need changes in employment procedures for foreign nationals, e.g. harmonised requirements across government agencies, streamlined visa-application procedures, and the shortened processing of work permits.

Only 14% of companies have their employer branding strategy defined. But in order to attract employees, and millennials in particular, one needs to get to know their needs and provide them with opportunities for fulfilment and a sense of making a difference in the company. The young generation want their bosses to be like partners and coaches, who will lead and direct them. Employers need long-term strategies and comprehensive approaches to their personnel. Without it, they will be hard-pressed to achieve success, experts claim.

Warsaw is catching up with other capital cities in Central and Eastern Europe, attracting a growing number of investors. The city’s advantages include extensive office space, access to qualified staff and the extrovert character of its residents. Warsaw’s authorities are announcing further projects which will help to attract investors, as well as to prevent the consequences of such problems as the insufficient number of flats available on the market.

Programming education has become a permanent feature of education. In over 300 Polish schools children learn how to programme using Photon robots. These devices develop together with children, and are intended even for pre-school children. More and more initiatives of this kind are appearing on the market. Manufacturers provide devices which children can assemble and programme themselves using applications, usually based on the Scratch programming language.

In 2017 producers sold almost 6 m large household appliances to retail chains. Electrolux wants to take advantage of this very beneficial market situation. The company is planning to increase employment and production capacities and to introduce new innovative products into the market. Within the next two years the company also aims to invest approx. PLN 50 m in factories in Poland. There are also plans of investing in product research laboratories operating in factories. The industry is afflicted by labour shortages, primarily in the middle segment, including technicians and people with vocational education.

Automation might have a good effect on the level of wages and salaries in the Polish economy. It may also solve the problem of labour shortages which impede the development of businesses. An industrial robot costs from several hundred thousand to million zlotys, but it is an investment with a short payback time – it pays back as quickly as within a year or two, thus increasing efficiency and giving the business a competitive edge. This, in turn, results in lower costs and extra revenues. In Poland, industrial robots are used primarily in the automotive, chemical and steel industries.

For several years now, direct sales companies have been doing very well on the Polish market. In 2017, they recorded a nearly 5-percent increase in revenue to PLN 3.3 bn, and the number of their customers increased by 2 percent to reach almost a million. A few years back, Poles would generally buy cosmetics, while now they tend to purchase dietary supplements and products and home appliances.

A well-developed business culture, rapid technological sector development and highly-educated IT personnel – these are the factors that made Warsaw the desired choice for locating the new technological centre for Hargreaves Lansdown. The British investment market leader opens its first technological centre outside Britain. It will host the development of new software for modern customer service and will facilitate financial operations for investors all over the world.

Since 2018, Poland has a new Act on the promotion of employment and labour market institutions. It is expected to facilitate the employment of foreigners from outside the EU and EEA, as well as to help control people arriving to Poland. Employers propose the introduction of the Immigration Act to recruit workforce not only from Ukraine, but also from Arab countries. Without it, the demand for new personnel might be difficult to satisfy. Some companies have already had to give up contracts as they are not able to complete them because of labour shortages.

According to NBP's evaluations, the number of Ukrainians working in Poland has reached one million, and in the next two years this figure will grow by 200,000-300,000. Also, Georgians and Belarusians are increasingly often crossing our border to seek employment. Despite such a growth rate, it is still not enough to meet the demand for workers. Convincing foreigners to stay in Poland also remains a challenge.

Poland is far behind in terms of teacher salaries not only in comparison to affluent European countries but also to our closest neighbours. The pay rises introduced in April will not change the situation. More than 99 percent of teachers will receive an average pay rise of 5.35 percent, i.e. from PLN 95 to 168 depending on their professional rank. In annual terms, the rise will amount to 3.75 percent, which, adjusting for inflation, is 1.45 percent. This is a much lower growth rate than that recorded for wages and salaries in the economy as a whole,” ZNP’s President Sławomir Broniarz emphasised.

With only 1,400 job offers in public relations, 2017 was one of the worst times for the industry in many years. You were the most likely to find a job in a PR agency, as they provided more than 60 percent of job offers. Usually these concerned assistant and consultant positions. Companies and institutions offered jobs to PR professionals with more experience. The most job offers were provided by marketing, financial and insurance sectors.

Poland has been the European leader in window exports for three years. DOVISTA Polska, which belongs to the same capital group as the roof window producer VELUX, has just finished an expansion project, which is going to boost its position as a producer and exporter. The company invested PLN 22 m in the new 11,000 sq. m distribution centre. This project will help the company increase its production by 10-15 percent this year and create 100 new jobs. The factory in Wędkowy is the largest facility manufacturing wooden windows in Poland and one of the biggest employers in Pomerania.