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Poland
Poland is a country located in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. Poland’s capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw.
POPULATION
37, 9 million inhabitants
CURRENCY
Złoty (PLN)
GDP
$915 billion
MINIMUM MONTHLY WAGE:
4 806,00 PLN gross – monthly
31,40 PLN gross – hourly
TIME ZONE
UTC +1
Poland’s economy and GDP is currently the sixth largest in the European Union by nominal standards, and the fifth largest by purchasing power parity. It is also one of the fastest growing within the Union.
Poland is safe and stable, militarily and economically. Membership in NATO and EU
gives Poland additional strength and confidence.
There are plenty of highly qualified, hardworking people in many walks of life in
Poland – from professors to simple workers.
Employment contract
There are the following employment contract options:
- Employment contract for an indefinite period
- Employment contract for a definite period
- Civil-law contracts: e.g. mandate contracts (umowa zlecenie) and contract of specific task (umowa o dzieło) are common for temporary or project work (these have no guaranteed benefits or leave entitlements).
A normal five-day working week is 40 hours.
Employees shall be granted the following types of leave:
- Annual paid leave:
20 days – up to 10 years of employment history.
26 days – on or after 10 years of employment history.
Holiday on demand – 4 days per year of annual leave without prior approval (these days are included in 20/26 days per year mentioned above).
University degree is included in employment history, e.g. master’s degree provides 8 years of service plus 2 years can be obtained after the work on employment contract.
• Before 2026: only periods worked under an
employment contract (umowa o pracę) counted toward employment seniority.
• From 2026:
The scope has been expanded. Now the following periods also count toward employment seniority:
– Self-employment (JDG / sole proprietorship)
– Civil law contracts (e.g., service contracts)
- Sick leave.
- Maternity leave – 20 weeks for female employees upon the delivery of one child, with social security benefits. 31 weeks if she has delivered twins and up to 37 weeks for 5 or more children.
- Additional maternity leave (8-15 weeks extra) to parents of premature or hospitalized newborns
- When maternity leave ends, both parents are entitled to 32 weeks of parental leave or 34 weeks for multiple births.
- Other leave 14 days of unpaid parental leave per child (for childcare), plus leave for important events (marriage, death in family, etc.)
The most common benefits for employees are:
▪ medical insurance
▪ social insurance
• January 1 – New Year’s Day (Nowy Rok)
• January 6 – Epiphany (Święto Trzech Króli)
• April 5 – Easter Sunday (Niedziela Wielkanocna) – movable date
• April 6 – Easter Monday (Poniedziałek Wielkanocny) – movable
• May 1 – Labour Day (Święto Pracy)
• May 3 – Constitution Day (Święto Konstytucji)
• May 24 – Pentecost (Whit Sunday) – movable (Zesłanie Ducha Świętego)
• June 4 – Corpus Christi – movable (Boże Ciało)
• August 15 – Assumption of Mary / Armed Forces Day (Wniebowzięcie Najświętszej Maryi Panny / Święto
Wojska Polskiego)
• November 1 – All Saints’ Day (Wszystkich Świętych)
• November 11 – Independence Day (Święto Niepodległości)
• December 24 – (Christmas Eve / Wigilia)
• December 25-26 – Christmas (Boże Narodzenie)
Movable holidays vary by calendar year but are always observed as non-working days.
If a public holiday falls on a Saturday, the employer must grant an additional day off on another date. In 2026, this applies to 15 August and 26 December.
This means employees working under an employment contract (umowa o pracę) are entitled to 2 additional days off, to be designated by the employer.
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, no additional day off is granted, as Sunday is already a statutory day
off.
An employment contract may be terminated (depending on the circumstances of the case):
• mutual agreement
• resignation
• expiry of contract
• dismissal
Notice during the probation period:
- 3 working days’ notice – if the probationary period is up to 2 weeks.
- 1-week notice – if the probationary period exceeds 2 weeks.
- 2 weeks’ notice – if the probationary period exceeds 3 months.
Notice for Temporary or Permanent employment:
- 2 weeks – if the employee was employed for up to 6 months.
- 1 month – if the employee was employed more than 6 months and less than 3 years.
- 3 months – if the employee was employed for 3 years or more.
Termination by an employer.
Termination due to fault of an employee:
- employee has seriously and intentionally violated his basic duties,
- has committed an offence,
- losing a license or qualification.
Immediate termination without the employee’s fault can take place if the employee’s incapacity to work, due to illness:
- lasts longer than 3 months (if he/she has been employed for less than 6 months).
- lasts longer than the joint period of receiving sick pay from the employer, statutory sickness benefit and rehabilitation benefit for the first 3 months:
- if the employee has been employed for at least 6 months,
- if he/she has become unfit to work through an accident at work or occupational disease.
Termination by an employee
- due to his/her own desire,
- due to health reasons (if a medical certificate is issued stating that the work performed by the employee constitutes a health hazard and the employer does not transfer him/her within the time period specified in the certificate to another work position appropriate to his/her health condition and qualifications.
- if an employer seriously violates its basic duties towards an employee.
Severance payment is given by employers who have at least 20 employees and the dismissal of the employee is through the fault of the employer.
1-month severance pay – less than 2 years of employment,
2 months’ severance pay – between 2 and 8 years of employment,
3 months’ severance pay – over 8 years of employment.
Foreign nationals require a work permit, but the following categories of foreign nationals are exempted from obtaining a work permit:
- Citizens of the EU, European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland, and members of their families.
- Foreign nationals with a settlement permit.
- Foreign nationals who have long-term EU resident status in Poland.
- Individuals who were granted temporary protection. refugees, and people granted ‘tolerated stay’ status.
- Other foreign nationals are not obligated to obtain a work permit under specific regulations.
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