The number of temporary workers in Poland increased by 6% in Q3 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to research from Polskie Forum HR, the Polish Human Resources Forum (PFHR).

Further data from Polskie Forum HR showed that turnover of PFHR member companies in the field of temporary work increased by 18% over the year. The growth reflected rising wages and the inflationary effect of rising costs. The estimated value of the temporary work market in Poland in Q2 stood at PLN 1.10 billion (€253.8 million).

Meanwhile, the number of hours worked on a full-time basis decreased by 3% over the same period.

“Observing what is happening in terms of both temporary and permanent employment, we see that employers are still in a state of waiting for the general economic situation to improve,” said Wojciech Ratajczyk, vice-president of the Polish HR Forum. “At the same time, as we have been observing for several years, the shortage of employees is one of the main problems of the labour market. This situation will not change if the rules for accepting economic emigrants are not better regulated.”

Estimates from the Forum also showed a 1% decrease in revenue for outsourcing. Revenue totalled PLN 412 million (€95.0 million).

Within the field of recruitment services for Polish employers, revenue amounted to PLN 73 million (€16.8 million), down 14% over the year and down 2% compared to the previous quarter.

Michał Młynarczyk, member of the management board of the Polish HR Forum, said of the revenue decline in recruitment services, “Such significant declines compared to the previous year are the result of a decline in the investment activity of companies and, consequently, a significantly smaller number of job offers.”

According to estimates from the Forum, the value of HR services provided by member companies of the PFHR stood at PLN 1.76 billion (€407.6 million) in Q3, up 9% over the previous year. Temporary work made up 62.7% of this turnover, followed by outsourcing (23.4%). Recruitment followed with 4.5%.