Poland’s working population median age increased to 43 in August 2025, with women’s employment growing as overall labor supply decreases.
Median Age Rising
“At the end of August 2025, the average age of working people (in years) was 43 (at the end of August 2024 – 42.8, at the end of July 2025 – 43). The median age of workers also increased over the year. In August 2025, it was 43 years and was one year higher than at the end of August 2024,” – reports the latest GUS publication.
Declining Labor Supply
More people are leaving the labor market (for retirement) than entering it (young cohorts), as evidenced by a 0.2% year-on-year decrease in the number of employed in August 2025 according to the latest GUS data. A negative trend in labor supply is also visible on a monthly basis – compared to the previous month, the number of employed decreased by 0.3%.
Women’s Growing Role
Women are becoming more active in the Polish labor market. The labor market is also undergoing a significant structural change regarding gender. The role of women in the Polish labor market is growing, as evidenced by the regularly increasing number of working women throughout the national economy.
Although the share of working women in the national economy is still lower than men’s and stands at 47.3% compared to 52.7% for men, women’s role is growing and is a noticeable trend.
Diverging Employment Trends
Compared to January 2023 to August 2025, the number of working women systematically increased, while the number of working men decreased and has been almost regularly declining since January 2025. This indicates a divergence in employment dynamics for women and men and increasing women’s activation in the labor market.
The Polish economy is slowly exhausting simple reserves – that is, men of working age. Men in Poland live shorter lives and more often work in physically demanding professions, which may lead to their earlier displacement from the labor market.
Women’s Activation as Economic Safeguard
The activation of women in the labor market can be an economic safeguard in terms of labor resources. Women in Poland are statistically better educated, find jobs in the service sector and modern technologies, which are more resistant to crises than traditional industry or construction (dominated by men).
Women who were previously professionally inactive are now filling gaps left by retiring cohorts. The low labor supply, resulting from demographics, will be the biggest brake on economic development, and women – due to better adaptation to the modern economy – can systematically increase their share in the employment structure.
Employment Statistics
According to GUS, on the last day of August 2025, the working population in the national economy numbered 15.04 million, i.e., 0.2% less than in August 2024. Compared to the previous month, their number decreased by 0.3%. In 2024, the number of employed in the national economy was 15.17 million; in 2023 – 15.18 million people, in 2022 – 15.21 million people.
