The minimum wage in Poland in 2024
What is the minimum wage in Poland?
Simply put, the minimum wage is the lowest amount an employer requires by law to pay a person working under an employment contract. Among other things, the minimum salary establishes the minimum hourly rate.
How many people in Poland make the minimum wage?
1.5 million workers.
This is how many workers in Poland earn the minimum wage.
13% of the total workforce in Poland.
This is the percentage of Poland's workforce that receives the minimum wage.
Compared to other European Union member states, Poland has a relatively high rate of workers receiving the minimum wage.
10% of employees in the EU
Eurofound says 10% of European Union employees earn the minimum wage on average.
Minimum wage in 2024
Typically, the minimum wage is expressed as a gross amount. That being said, most employees are interested in the net amount or how much money they will receive after taxes.
Keeping that in mind, two changes will occur in 2024:
| Date | Gross Amount (PLN) | Net Amount (Approx. PLN) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st of January | 4242 | 3221.98 |
| 1st of July | 4300 | 3261.53 |
It's worth noting that each individual's net amount may differ.
Several factors could influence the final amount of your minimum wage, including:
Filing a PIT-2 statement with your company.
Deductible expenses for work done outside the workplace, including remote and hybrid work.
Minimum wage amount - long-term perspective
It is essential to consider the overall picture of Poland's minimum wage. If we look at the data over the last few years, we can see that the amount has more than doubled since 2018. That, of course, is offset by inflation and the correspondingly rising prices of utilities, food, and gas, so people working in Poland may feel some relief in their monthly budgets.
Minimum wage over the years.
| Year | Gross Amount (PLN) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2100 |
| 2019 | 2250 |
| 2020 | 2600 |
| 2021 | 2800 |
| 2022 | 3010 |
| 2023 | 3600 |
| 2024 | 4300 |
What are the advantages and disadvantages of minimum wage?
In theory, and in many cases in practice, they are paying a fair wage on time for work performed benefits both the employee and the employer.
On the one hand, the primary goal of minimum wage is to provide a fair salary, thereby protecting employees from employer exploitation.
On the other hand, from the perspective of an employer, when setting the minimum cost of hiring an employee, minimum wage can have significant negative consequences:
- Obstacle in combating Poland’s unemployment – An employer might hire fewer people to cut operational costs.
- Paradoxically, contributing to the exploitation of workers – If the minimum wage is a requirement only in case of employment contracts, it might make some employers reluctant to offer this type of cooperation to their workers. In turn, they might be more willing to provide so-called “umowy ?mieciowe” (eng. ”sewage” or “trash contracts”), which entail fewer employee protection mechanisms.
