Polish HR is currently at a clear turning point. The latest report, “HR TECH CHANGER 2025,” published by the Polish HR Forum, shows that the sector is increasingly splitting into two worlds. The first is made up of agencies and recruitment companies that are widely implementing solutions based on automation and artificial intelligence. The second consists of small organizations where HR still often operates in an “analog” model, and HR Tech tools are used by only 62% of companies employing up to 10 people. Experts emphasize that this technological gap may directly affect companies’ competitiveness in the coming years.

HR TECH CHANGER 2025 is another edition of the report prepared by the Polish HR Forum, which comprehensively describes the condition and digital maturity of the Polish HR industry. This year’s edition of the study was carried out in cooperation with the Openfield Research Agency. – Over the past few years, technology has not only changed HR; it has completely reformulated the way we think about working with people. Our study once again shows the pace of this transformation and how differently organizations in Poland are coping with it – says Anna Wicha, President of the Management Board of the Polish HR Forum.

As she adds, this year’s edition of the report highlights growing market disparities with exceptional clarity. – Today, in recruitment agencies, the share of specialists using HR Tech tools exceeds 98%. What was still a curiosity not long ago has become an absolute standard. Meanwhile, in the smallest organizations, as many as 38% of HR departments declare that they do not use technology at all. This is a real gap that affects process efficiency and companies’ competitiveness. – emphasizes Anna Wicha.

AI rules recruitment

As in previous years, respondents again indicated recruitment-related areas as those most intensively supported by technology. The top three were candidate selection (32%), candidate sourcing (25%), and ATS systems and candidate database management (19%). This confirms that recruitment is the area where HR Tech is developing the fastest and where AI can actually be seen in action.

Although recruitment remains the main beneficiary of HR Tech tools, the report shows that the larger the organization, the broader the application of technology. In companies employing more than 250 people, digital solutions now support almost every stage of the employee lifecycle – from selection and competency assessment, through documentation digitization and working time management, to wellbeing and benefits.

AI in shades of gray

For organizations that use automation and AI-based tools, the benefits are obvious. However, along with increasing automation in HR processes, awareness is growing that this is not a technology free from flaws or risks. While last year the industry indicated that the biggest challenges in using HR Tech were 1) tool costs, 2) maintaining privacy and data security, and 3) difficulties in implementing solutions, this year’s study shifts the focus toward (1) issues of privacy and data security and (2) algorithmic errors and AI bias. Tool cost currently ranks last on the podium. Interestingly, these are exactly the areas that, under the EU AI Act, classify HR solutions as high-risk systems. This proves that the Polish HR community accurately identifies the risks associated with using AI in people-related processes.

Competency gap

The aforementioned AI Act precisely defines in which HR areas artificial intelligence may be used and what obligations rest on organizations. At the same time, it clearly emphasizes that no decision concerning an employee or candidate may be fully automated and left solely to an algorithm. – The EU regulation imposes obligations on companies that require, among other things, understanding algorithms and continuous human oversight of AI decisions. In this context, the competency gap revealed in the report becomes an even more serious risk – explains Przemysław Kadula, Vice President of the Polish HR Forum. All the more concerning is the fact that the percentage of companies in which the employer provides access to training developing technological competencies is only 34%. On the other hand, awareness is growing among HR professionals, with 46% educating themselves in this area on their own.

The future of HR Tech – investments

The report results show not only where Polish HR is today, but also where it is heading. The next 12 months are expected by most market participants to be a period of investment in AI-based solutions, primarily in the areas of selection (19%), competency assessment (21%), and candidate database management (17%).

At the same time, as many as one-third of organizations declare that they are not planning any investments. In practice, this means that market polarization will continue to grow. Some companies will enter the era of intelligent automation, while others, remaining with manual processes, will gradually lose their competitive edge. – It is becoming increasingly clear that investments in HR Tech are no longer a matter of choice, but a condition for maintaining efficiency and competitive capability – comments Agnieszka Zielińska, Director of the Polish HR Forum. – Companies that decide to implement AI-based solutions optimize processes faster and make more accurate business decisions. In turn, entities postponing investments risk falling behind, especially in the face of dynamic regulatory changes and growing expectations of employees and candidates. – she adds.

The “HR TECH CHANGER 2025” report, containing the full results of the study conducted by Openfield on behalf of the Polish HR Forum, expert commentary, and trend analyses, is available free of charge on the Polish HR Forum website.