Why Poland
Human capital and country statistics
Poland’s greatest asset are its citizens, especially their ambitious nature, eagerness to learn, great work ethic, loyalty and entrepreneurial spirit. Companies starting their operations in Poland can also count on consumers with open minds to modern solutions.
Modern consumers
Companies in Poland have access to a market of modern consumers - often online shoppers, open to technological innovations and fond of modern banking solutions. This is confirmed by the ranking "The Top 10 Cashless Countries in Europe", a study which assessed the percentage of the population using payment cards and the frequency of using contactless payments, where Poland came second. This is no doubt in a large part thanks to over a million payment terminals in Poland with the contactless payment function.
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¬ródło: Merchant Machine (Top 10 Cashless societies in Europe, 7.04.2021) oraz NBP, dane na 1Q2021
Education
Poland ranks third in the prestigious PISA raking, an international assessment of students’ skills:
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Source: Combined average score of reading mean, maths mean and science mean from 2018 PISA rankings of performance in reading, maths and science
From the EU perspective, the results of the PISA survey are particularly important as they form part of the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training. As one of the few countries, thanks to educational reforms, Poland has kept its share of underperformers below 15% in all assessed areas in PISA 2018. This wouldn’t be possible without a highly developed education system that makes every effort to ensure that students receive the highest quality education.
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Source: Statistics Poland (PL:GUS) - Education
As many as 92% of Polish citizens aged 25-64 have at least a secondary education. This places Poland in 5th place among all the OECD countries and is a result well above the OECD average of 78%.
Almost 1.3 million students study at Institutes of Higher Education, which means Poland ranks 4th in Europe in terms of the number of students. What distinguishes the Polish higher education system is the large number of students in STEM (exact sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics) faculties.
Knowledge of foreign languages
Poland was placed 16th (out of 100) in 2020 in the "EF Proficiency Index", which ranks countries based on the knowledge of the English language among non-native English speakers. Additionally, according to the analysis included in the ABSL report, the modern BSS sector in Poland provides services in 38 languages. Source: EF EPI
Statistics
Labour costs in: Poland, Europe and the CEE region* EUR/h
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*Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia
Source: Eurostat
Minimal wages in: Poland, Europe and the CEE region*
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*Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia
UE Average (21 out 27 countries use minimum wage)
Source: Eurostat
Average monthly gross earnings: May 2021
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Source: Statistics Poland (PL:GUS) – Average monthly gross wages and salaries in enterprise sector
The average salary for workers in Poland in the first quarter of 2021 was PLN 5,681.56 (€ 1,260). This is 6.6% more y / y and as much as 4.1% more than in the fourth quarter of 2020. The labour market is gradually returning to the trends from before the Corona virus pandemic. - Source: GUS and PKO Research
Average annual earnings in: Poland, Europe and the CEE region*
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* Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia
EU - € 23 617 Single person without children, 100 % of average worker (2019, annual net earnings)
Poland - € 10 355 Single person without children, 100 % of average worker (2019, annual net earnings)
CEE Region – € 10 135 Single person without children, 100 % of average worker (2019, annual net earnings)
Source: Eurostat
Unemployment rate in Europe and across Polish voivodships:
Unemployment in the EU as of March 2021 in %
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Source: Eurostat
Unemployment at the end of May 2021 by voivodship
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Source: Statistics Poland (PL:GUS)-Registered unemployment
Costs of living in Poland:
Average monthly expenses index (monthly average=1252 zł)
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Source: Statistics Poland (PL:GUS) - Living conditions
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