Stable growth of the HR industry in the second quarter of 2026: The value of services reaches PLN 1.86 billion

The Polish HR Forum presents the results of the HR services market for the second quarter of 2026 (2Q2026). The total turnover of member companies increased by 3% year-on-year, reaching PLN 1,858 million. Temporary work maintains its position as the market leader with a share of 62.4%, with as much as 81% of contracts with temporary employees being employment contracts.

Slight but stable market growth

In the second quarter of 2026, the Polish HR services market showed a stable pace of growth. The total turnover of entities associated in the Polish HR Forum (PFHR) amounted to PLN 1,858 million, representing an increase of 3% compared to the same period of the previous year. The data presented in the report comes from 32 capital groups (including a total of 73 companies), representing the most important employment agencies and personal consulting companies in Poland

The market structure remains established: the core of the business is temporary work (62.4% market share; PLN 1,159 million) and outsourcing (25.1%; PLN 467 million). The remaining part of the market consists of: posting of workers (4.6%), recruitment services (4.4%), RPO - Recruitment Process Outsourcing (1.5%), other services (1.9%) and career management (0.1%).

- In the second quarter of 2026, the Polish HR services market shows the characteristics of a mature and stable ecosystem. Although the main operational pillar of companies remains the flexibility provided by temporary work, we observe even and consistent growth in areas requiring specialized knowledge. Business in Poland is learning to respond effectively to economic challenges by optimizing the employment structure, supported by specialized agencies – comments Ewelina Glińska-Kołodziej, member of the Board of the Polish HR Forum.

Temporary work: High percentage of jobs and market maturity

In absolute terms, the temporary work segment reached PLN 1,159 million in turnover (+4% y/y). It is estimated that the value of the entire temporary work market in Poland (including non-associated companies) reached PLN 2.0 billion in 2Q2026. In the second quarter, 82 thousand people worked in agencies belonging to PFHR (+1% y/y), which on a national scale translates into an estimated population of 272 thousand temporary workers. Time worked in terms of full-time equivalents amounted to 40.0 thousand FTEs (-2% y/y, +1% q/q).

- Particular attention should be paid to the fact that companies associated in the Polish HR Forum maintain the highest market employment standards - as much as 81% of contracts with temporary workers are employment contracts. This gives employees full social protection and stability, and guarantees employers commitment and high quality of work, mainly in the manufacturing (61%) and service (38%) sectors – adds Glińska-Kołodziej.

Polish enterprises show a greater willingness to carry out recruitment projects, which may indicate a gradual improvement in sentiment and greater readiness to invest in key competences.

One of the most important and optimistic conclusions from the report of the Polish HR Forum for the second quarter of 2026 is a clear recovery in the segment of permanent recruitments carried out for Polish employers. The turnover of member companies in this area reached PLN 75 million. This represents a 7% increase compared to the second quarter of 2025 and a clear acceleration compared to the first quarter of 2026 - an increase of 6% q/q. The dynamic quarterly growth indicates that after a conservative start of the year, Polish companies unlocked recruitment projects and moved from a job freezing policy to active team expansion.

- The jump in the value of domestic recruitment is a clear signal that Polish business is regaining faith in economic stability. Employers realize that under conditions of severe competence shortages, quick acquisition of qualified managers and specialists is the key to maintaining a competitive advantage. We are no longer dealing only with filling vacancies, but with creating new positions that respond to technological challenges – notes Szymon Rudnicki, Vice President of the Polish HR Forum.

- The increase in the value of permanent recruitments is a signal that employers are investing in acquiring key competences with greater confidence. Under conditions of persistent staffing shortages, the quick acquisition of qualified specialists and managers remains one of the most important factors in building a competitive advantage. We observe a growing interest in competences supporting organizational development, process digitization, and increasing business efficiency. As a result, recruitment is increasingly becoming an element of strategic company development, rather than solely a response to current staffing needs – notes Szymon Rudnicki, Vice President of the Polish HR Forum.

Recruitments for foreign employers: The value of this segment jumped by as much as 21% y/y (to PLN 7 million), which proves high recognition for Polish talents on the international market and high effectiveness of Polish agencies in implementing cross-border HR projects.

RPO and outsourcing also positive

Turnover from comprehensive takeover of recruitment processes amounted to PLN 29 million (+5% y/y, +3% q/q). The RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) model combined with traditional permanent recruitment gives Polish enterprises immense flexibility. Instead of building extensive internal recruitment departments, organizations prefer to work with professional business partners who can flexibly scale resources depending on the company's current recruitment needs.

At the same time, the value of the outsourcing segment (outsourcing services and cooperation models such as IT contracting) in the second quarter of 2026 was PLN 467 million, showing a stable growth dynamics at the level of +6% y/y and +1% on a quarterly basis. Outsourcing currently accounts for 25.1% of the total turnover of member companies of the Polish HR Forum