Two readings on the Polish labor market were released on Monday, Nov. 9: the labor ministry’s estimate of October unemployment and third-quarter wage data from Statistics Poland (GUS), the national statistics office. Also on Monday, the speaker of the Senate opened the nomination period for two vacant seats on the Monetary Policy Council of Poland’s central bank, Narodowy Bank Polski (NBP).
Unemployment: 5.8%, unchanged since June
About 906,500 people were registered as unemployed at labor offices at the end of October, according to preliminary figures from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy reported by the PAP Biznes news agency. That is about 500 fewer than in September and about 39,200 more than a year earlier.
The registered unemployment rate was 5.8%, the same as in September. The ministry said the rate has been at that level since June, PAP Biznes reported. Economists surveyed by PAP Biznes had expected a reading of 5.8%.
Ministry data cited by the Polish news site Portal Samorządowy show the lowest rate in the Wielkopolskie region, in western Poland, at 3.8%. Compared with September, the rate was unchanged in 11 of Poland’s 16 regions, fell by 0.1 percentage point in three and rose by 0.1 percentage point in two. Employers reported 35,000 job openings and work-activation slots to labor offices in October.
The ministry’s figures are estimates. Statistics Poland is scheduled to publish final October unemployment data on Nov. 25.
Portal Samorządowy also reported figures based on Eurostat’s definition, which uses a different method than the registered-unemployment count. By that measure, Poland’s unemployment rate was 3.4% in September, compared with an average of 6.0% in the European Union and 6.3% in the euro area. Bulgaria was the only EU country with a lower rate than Poland.
Wages: 9,317.01 zlotys a month, gross
Statistics Poland said on Nov. 9 that average gross monthly pay in the third quarter of 2026 was 9,317.01 zlotys. According to PAP Biznes, that is 6.2% more than in the third quarter of 2025 and 0.9% more than in the previous quarter.
Senate: central bank council nominations due Nov. 25
Senate Speaker Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska set a period from Nov. 9 to Nov. 25, ending at noon, for senators to nominate candidates for two seats on the Monetary Policy Council. The Senate Information Center provided the information to PAP Biznes.
On Nov. 6 the Senate formally removed Ludwik Kotecki and Przemysław Litwiniuk from the council after both resigned in connection with their appointment to the NBP management board. The council consists of the NBP governor, who chairs it, and nine members appointed in equal numbers by the president, the Sejm (the lower house of parliament) and the Senate. A nomination requires a group of at least seven senators.
Key facts
- Registered unemployment rate at the end of October 2026: 5.8%, unchanged from September (preliminary ministry estimate).
- Registered unemployed: about 906,500, about 500 fewer than a month earlier and about 39,200 more than a year earlier.
- Final October unemployment data from Statistics Poland: Nov. 25.
- Average gross monthly pay in the third quarter of 2026: 9,317.01 zlotys, up 6.2% year over year (Statistics Poland).
- Senators may nominate candidates for two Monetary Policy Council seats from Nov. 9 to Nov. 25.
Sources: PAP Biznes, unemployment dispatch, Nov. 9, 2026, PAP Biznes, average pay dispatch, Nov. 9, 2026 (in Polish), PAP Biznes, news summary for Nov. 9, 2026 (in Polish), Portal Samorządowy, ministry unemployment data (in Polish), WNP.pl (PAP), Monetary Policy Council nomination period (in Polish).
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