It’s a land of castles, cathedrals, and like most people who visit say, it has a copious amounts of cabbage soup.
But today, we’re not tourists in Poland. Rather, we want to explore the talent that’s abound in this central European country of 38 million people.
In this guide, we’ll explore the exciting opportunity of hiring remote contractors from Poland. We will go deeper into all the legal intricacies, the benefits, and the skilled talent you will encounter.
Before that, let’s have a quick glance of what Poland is made of.
Poland: A short profile/Geography
- Location: Central Europe, bordering Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia
- Capital: Warsaw
- Largest City: Warsaw
- Climate: Temperate with cold winters and mild summers
- Population: Approximately 38 million
- Official Language: Polish
- Currency: Polish złoty (PLN)
- GDP: Sixth largest economy in the EU
- Major Industries: Manufacturing, automotive, agriculture, technology
- Must-See Cities: Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław, and Gdańsk.
An overview of the employment market in Poland
How are jobs like in Poland? What about the economy, diversity at work, tech hubs, and all the important elements that make a great workforce? We’ll explore them in this section.
Economic growth and job prospects in Poland
Poland is a country with a thriving economy, which also boasts of steady growth. Of course, this obviously means a readily available talent across various industries in the country.
According to PKO Bank, from 2019 – just before the pandemic – to the second quarter of 2024, Poland achieved the EU’s 4th highest growth in GDP, representing 12.5%.
Tech hubs and the startup scene in Poland
The tech and startup sector in Poland is booming. The country has great engineering, data, and design talent that you can tap into as a startup looking to hire remote contractors.
According to Startup Blink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index, Poland is ranked 34th worldwide, and 4th in Eastern Europe, positioning the country as a hotspot for tech talent and startups.
Remote work and the future of work in Poland
On 6th February 2023, a new amendment to the Labour Code in Poland was published in the Journal of Laws. While the new amendment gave employers the prerogative to decide on whether they want to introduce remote work or not, it’s a step in the right direction towards legalizing remote work for any employer or employee that sort to pursue this way of working.
In 2024, Cushman & Wakefield did a survey and found that a lot of workers in Poland’s biggest cities have already adopted a hybrid style of working.
We can take three things away from this when it comes to remote work in Poland:
- There’s greater flexibility for both employers and employees, which gives each party the opportunity to adopt a flexible work arrangement.
- A positive step towards a more supportive legal framework for remote work in Poland
- Hybrid work is becoming increasingly popular in Poland's major cities – a net-positive for the future of work
An overview of payroll and taxes in Poland
If you want to hire international contractors in Poland, then you need to have an understanding of how Polish taxes and payroll work. Here’s an overview:
Poland’s payroll cycle
Like many other places, employees in Poland are typically paid every month (monthly salary). Legally, employee salaries should be paid by the 10th day of the following month. However, local labour laws allow that you can also do a weekly wage payment or pay employees and contractors every two weeks.
Incomes tax in Poland
The income tax policy in Poland is pretty straightforward. There are two main areas:
- First, there’s an 18% for income up to a certain threshold.
- And a second 32% for income exceeding the threshold of the first option.
Cost an employer will incur when hiring remote contractors in Poland
There are additional costs as an employer once you decide to hire Polish talent. The cost could range from anywhere between 19% to 23% of the salary you’re paying the contractor. The costs are usually to cover either insurance contributions or social security.
Working hours in Poland
If you want to stay legally compliant when hiring Polish talent, then working hours is something you need to know.
- Like many places around the world, there’s a 40 hours standard workweek in Poland. It typically starts from 8 am and ends at 4 pm. If you wish to engage contractors beyond their normal working hours, then they can be entitled to anywhere between 150% and 200% of their standard rates.
- Note, however, that the maximum number of overtime hours an employee or contractor is legally allowed to do in a year in Poland is capped at 150 hours.
PTOs, Leave, and more in Poland
When do your contractors in Poland have to be on national holidays? What’s the policy on sick leave, and paid time offs? Find out below:
Vacation Days in Poland
Employees are entitled to paid vacation of between 20 and 26 days per year, usually depending on the number of years they’ve worked.
Where there are unused vacation days, they can be carried over to the next year. However, the employee should make sure that the carried over vacation days must be used by September 30.
Sick leave for workers in Poland
All Polish employees can take up to 33 days of sick leave per annum if they’re under 50 years of age. With this requirement, they get 80% of their average salary for the first 33 days.
For Polish employees who are above 50 years, their first 14 days or two weeks are fully covered by the employer. The rest of their 33-days holiday is then covered by their social security.
Polish parental leave for workers
There are both maternity and paternity leave for workers in Poland. Here’s how both work:
- Maternity leave: Working mothers in Poland are given up to 20 weeks of maternity leave for a single child. When there are multiple births, the duration a mother gets increases over time.
- Paternity leave: Fathers receive 14 days of paid paternity leave.
Why should you choose to hire remote contractors from Poland
Every country has its own appeal when it comes to remote talent. Poland is no different. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider Poland as a preferred destination when looking to hire remote contractors:
Lots of skilled workers
Whether you’re looking for game developers, digital artists, or software engineers, Poland has lots of them to choose from. These talented individuals also have excellent problem-solving skills to help you get your ideas to fruition.
Competitive cost
According to Flowace, the average salary of a worker in Poland is 7,590 PLN per month, which is approximately 1,913 USD. This is equivalent to an average annual salary of 91,100 PLN (22,963 USD). This is evident in the chart shown below from Salary Explorer.
Compared to average salaries in most places in the West, this is highly cost-effective. And not to talk of the fact that you’re getting world-class workers that match talent anywhere else around the world.
Time zone alignment
Poland boasts a great time zone: same time with France, Germany, and Italy. It is an hour ahead of the UK. This means there’s room for real-time collaboration for any startup within these countries in Europe looking to tap into Polish talent.
For countries in the West for example, Poland is between 5 and 7 hours ahead of these times. Mostly 5 hours ahead of Eastern time and 8 hours ahead of Pacific Time, including Canada and the US.
Factors to consider when hiring remote contractors from Poland
Culture
Poland has lots of talent, and they are adaptable regardless of your international team. However, you need to understand that it’s a country on its own and would have certain work cultures that are peculiar to its working class.
Language proficiency
Another factor you should consider is to assess the language skills of Polish talent when hiring. While a lot of their workforce may be proficient in English, it doesn’t hurt to be extra careful to ensure proper communication with your remote team.
Tax and legal compliance
As we’ve outlined in the previous points, Poland has a lot of labour laws governing its workforce. Immediately you decide to hire international contractors from the country, you should learn these policies ensure you adhere to them.
Ready to hire remote contractors in Poland?
Arbonum has been helping startups and agencies manage theirinternational contractors from around the world, and would be the ideal platform to manage all your remote contractors from Poland.
With Arbonum, you have access to a 1-click payroll, fast onboarding, and instant payments, to make things simple even when your employees are in the other side of the world.
There's also a multi-country payroll, multi-currency payments, and 24/7 support from local HR and legal experts once you sign up.
Plus, we handle KYC checks and benefits administration.
Check out Sign up and hire from Poland