Poland Jobless Rate Hits 5-Month Low

Poland’s registered unemployment rate edged down to 5.9% in May 2026, the lowest in five months, from 6.0% in April. The latest figure came in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons dropped by 18.4 thousand from a month earlier to 915.9 thousand, with women representing 49.1% of the total. The majority of unemployed individuals were not entitled to unemployment benefits, accounting for 87.3% of the total. Additionally, 367.1 thousand had been out of work for more than a year. Compared with May 2025, the jobless rate was 0.8 percentage points higher, having stood at 5.1% a year ago. Meanwhile, reported job vacancies at the end of the month fell slightly by 0.4 thousand to 40.5 thousand.

Poland’s registered unemployment rate eased to 6.0% in April 2026 from 6.1% in March, matching market expectations and marking the lowest level since January. The number of unemployed people declined by 15.5 thousand from the previous month to 934.3 thousand, of whom women accounted for 49.1%. Most unemployed individuals were not eligible for unemployment benefits, representing 86.9% of the total. Meanwhile, 4.4% were out of work due to company-related terminations, while fresh graduates made up 2.4% of all unemployed persons. Moreover, 363.4 thousand people had been unemployed for more than one year. Compared with a year earlier, however, the unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points higher than the 5.2% recorded in April 2025. At the same time, reported job vacancies at the end of the month fell by 1 thousand to 40.9 thousand.

The registered unemployment rate in Poland was unchanged at 6.1% in March 2026, remaining at its highest level since September 2021, in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 5.1 thousand from the previous month to 949.8 thousand. Women constituted 49.1% of the registered unemployed persons. The majority of unemployed individuals were not entitled to unemployment benefits, representing 86.8% of the total. In March 2025, the jobless rate was 0.7 percentage points lower at 5.4%. Meanwhile, reported job vacancies at the end of the month increased by 10.2 thousand to 41.9 thousand.