On 7 November 2025 Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) announced that the average monthly wage in the third quarter reached PLN 8 771.70 gross, a 0.3 percent rise on the previous quarter. Although the increase is modest, the figure matters because several immigration instruments peg minimum salary requirements to national or regional wage averages.
For example, the Ministry of Family & Social Policy typically sets the 2026 minimum salary for Type-A work-permit holders at 60 percent of the national average. If that methodology is retained, employers should budget at least PLN 5 263 gross per month for new foreign hires—about PLN 165 higher than in permits issued in early 2025.
![Average wage hits PLN 8 771 – a key reference for 2026 work-permit salary thresholds]()
EU Blue-Card wage thresholds, currently set at 150 percent of the national average, would climb to roughly PLN 13 158 gross if the new average is confirmed in the annual GUS communiqué expected in February 2026. Companies using the Blue Card to attract senior IT specialists therefore face a 225-złoty monthly cost increase per assignee.
Global mobility teams should incorporate the provisional numbers into 2026 budgeting, remembering that many voivode offices accept permit applications only after the final annual average is published. HR should also audit ongoing assignment letters: if remuneration clauses reference “not less than the national average”, automatic pay increases may be triggered.
Finally, recruiters see the uptick as a signal that salary inflation is slowing, making Poland slightly more cost-competitive against Western Europe—good news for multinational shared-service centres planning head-count expansions in 2026.
For example, the Ministry of Family & Social Policy typically sets the 2026 minimum salary for Type-A work-permit holders at 60 percent of the national average. If that methodology is retained, employers should budget at least PLN 5 263 gross per month for new foreign hires—about PLN 165 higher than in permits issued in early 2025.
EU Blue-Card wage thresholds, currently set at 150 percent of the national average, would climb to roughly PLN 13 158 gross if the new average is confirmed in the annual GUS communiqué expected in February 2026. Companies using the Blue Card to attract senior IT specialists therefore face a 225-złoty monthly cost increase per assignee.
Global mobility teams should incorporate the provisional numbers into 2026 budgeting, remembering that many voivode offices accept permit applications only after the final annual average is published. HR should also audit ongoing assignment letters: if remuneration clauses reference “not less than the national average”, automatic pay increases may be triggered.
Finally, recruiters see the uptick as a signal that salary inflation is slowing, making Poland slightly more cost-competitive against Western Europe—good news for multinational shared-service centres planning head-count expansions in 2026.
