The number of temporary workers in Poland decreased by 6% in Q1 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to research from Polskie Forum HR, the Polish Human Resources Forum (PFHR).

At the same time, turnover in the field of temporary work increased by 15%. Polskie Forum cautioned that this increase is not a reflection of market growth. This improvement was mainly the result of an increase in wages for temporary employees, whose employment conditions must be the same as those of other employees employed in the same position.

Meanwhile, the number of hours worked on a full-time basis decreased by 8% over the same period.

Overall, member companies of the Polish HR Forum in the first quarter of 2023 employed 73,000 employees, 88% of whom were employed under employment contracts (84% a year ago). The turnover under temporary work in this period amounted to PLN 1.02 billion (€229.3 million), up 15% over the previous year but down 4% compared to the prior quarter.

“Companies reduce costs, which also means employment, they give up temporary workers in the first place. It's a natural move that we've done many times before. Let's hope that the second half of the year will bring an improvement in the situation, said Anna Wicha, President of the Polish HR Forum.

“The dynamics of changes in the HR services market perfectly illustrates the mood of employers and the general situation on the market,” Wojciech Ratajczyk, vice-president of the Polish HR Forum, added. “In temporary work, we can see a clear increase in employee salaries, in line with market trends. In addition, PFHR recorded an increase in the share of employment contracts, which proves the changing profile of employees.”

“Let us remember that we have changes to the Labor Code that complicate the termination of fixed-term contracts, which in subsequent periods may contribute to an increase in employers' interest in temporary work,” Ratajczyk said.

The turnover of Polish HR Forum member companies in outsourcing fell by 9% annually while turnover for Polish HR Forum member companies in recruitment services grew by 1% over the year.

According to Dominik Kalinowski, Head of Outsourcing at Antal Poland, turnover in outsourcing fell due to the decrease in demand in production and services.

The turnover of Forum member companies in the field of temporary work last year increased by 1%, reaching the level of PLN 3.44 billion (€773.8 million). This steady figure was due to rising salaries.

“Inflation, rising prices, tensions on the financial market, the war in Ukraine, all this makes the situation on the recruitment market very uneven,” commented Michał Młynarczyk, member of the Management Board of the Polish HR Forum. “Each month brings something new. Employers make decisions that are difficult to predict. The only thing they have in common is great caution.”