BackChanges to the Labor Code 2025
In 2025, new regulations will appear in the Labor Code that will affect the way employees are hired and their rights. The changes include new rules on remote work, extended parental leave, and additional days off. When will the changes in the 2025 labor law come into force? What will be the minimum wage in 2025?
Changes in labor law 2025
The year 2025 brings significant changes in labor law that will affect many aspects related to employment. The new regulations aim to adapt Polish labor law to the changing realities of the market and the needs of both employees and employers.
Amendment to the Labor Code 2025 – an overview of the most important changes:
- increase in the minimum wage
- Christmas Eve free from work
- co-financing the employment of retired people
- supplementary maternity leave
- changes in unemployment benefits
- changes in occupational medicine
- new regulations regarding collective labor agreements
- new rules for counting periods of employment
Minimum wage increase in 2025
From January 1, 2025, the minimum wage will be increased by PLN 366 compared to the previous year (PLN 4,300 gross) and will amount to PLN 4,666 gross. At the same time, the hourly rate will change, which will amount to PLN 30.50 gross (previously PLN 28.10 gross). A pay rise means an increase in costs for the employer, as well as an increase in other benefits that depend on it:
- sick pay,
- night work allowance,
- compensation for violating the principle of equal treatment in employment, mobbing or discrimination,
- the amount of payments made under the Employee Capital Plans,
- remuneration for the period of readiness for work and downtime at work,
- the allowance due to full-time employees,
- severance pay for collective redundancies,
- the amount of remuneration for work free from deductions.
Full-time position and minimum wage
The minimum gross wage varies depending on the full-time position and currently stands at:
- Full-time position: PLN 4,666
- 3/4 full-time position: PLN 3,499.50
- 2/3 full-time position: PLN 3,110.67;
- 1/2 full-time position: PLN 2,333;
- 1/3 full-time position: PLN 1,555.33;
- 1/4 full-time position: PLN 1,166.50.
Christmas Eve free from work
In 2025, the provisions of the Labor Code introduce December 24 – Christmas Eve, as a day off from work. The Sejm made this decision on November 27, 2024, to give employees the opportunity to spend the day with their families and prepare for the upcoming holidays.
Employment subsidy for retirees
From 2025, financial assistance will be introduced for companies employing retirees – women over 60 years of age and men over 65 years of age. The aim of this change is to increase the professional activity of seniors and use their knowledge and experience on the labor market. Employers employing retirees will be able to receive subsidies, which will amount to a maximum of 50% of the minimum monthly salary. This support will be available for 24 months of employing the senior. After that time, the company will be obliged to continue cooperation with the retiree for another 12 months, but without the possibility of using the subsidy. In 2025, the maximum amount of support will be up to PLN 2,333 per month.
It is worth remembering, however, that the subsidy will not be available to companies that previously employed a given retiree under an employment contract or cooperated with them in another way before their registration as a jobseeker.
Additional maternity leave 2025
In 2025, the Labor Code will introduce changes that will introduce additional maternity leave for parents of premature babies and children who require longer hospitalization after birth. The purpose of these changes is to enable parents to provide better care for their child in difficult times.
The length of leave will depend on how long the child was in hospital. For parents of children born:
- before the 28th week of pregnancy or with a birth weight below 1000 g, the leave may be up to 15 weeks. For each week the child is in hospital, parents will be able to receive an additional week of leave, up to a maximum of 15 weeks after birth.
- For children born between the 28th and 36th week of pregnancy with a birth weight above 1000 g, leave of up to 8 weeks is granted, also depending on the length of the child’s stay in hospital.
- For children born after the 36th week of pregnancy who required hospitalization after the 5th day of life, parents can count on leave of up to 8 weeks. The condition is that the child stayed in hospital for at least 2 days, which began between the 5th and 28th day of life.
The leave will be available at the request of parents, immediately after standard maternity leave.
During this leave, parents will receive an allowance of 100% of the allowance calculation base.
These changes are intended to make it easier for parents to care for children who need longer hospitalization after birth, giving them more time to regenerate and support the health of their little one.
Changes to unemployment benefits
From 2025, unemployment benefits in Poland will be significantly changed. People who meet certain conditions will be able to receive the benefit in full for a longer period of time.
A new feature will be the extension of the benefit payment period to 365 days, which means that unemployed people will receive support for a year, instead of the previous 180 days. The benefit will also be paid in full, i.e. 100% of the assessment base.
In 2024, the benefit is PLN 1,662 for the first three months, and PLN 1,305.20 thereafter. People with shorter employment records receive 80% of this amount, but the amendment to the regulations will introduce the full 100%. At the beginning of 2025, everyone who is entitled to the benefit will receive it in full – PLN 1,662.
People with long employment records of at least 20 years will receive 120% of the basic amount of the benefit. Another important change is that the benefit payment period will no longer depend on the unemployment rate in a given district, which will make the rules for granting the benefit the same across the country.
Changes in occupational medicine
In 2025, changes in occupational medicine are possible, which are aimed at better protecting the health of employees. The Ministry of Health plans to expand the scope of mandatory preventive examinations to include additional tests, such as:
- lipid profile, which allows to assess the risk of cardiovascular diseases,
- glucose level measurement, helpful in diagnosing diabetes,
- BMI index, supporting the prevention of overweight and obesity.
New regulations on collective labor agreements
Changes to collective labor agreements are planned from the beginning of 2025. The new act, which is to enter into force on January 1, aims to simplify procedures and encourage employers to use such solutions more often. One of the key elements of the project is the elimination of the complicated registration process, as well as the introduction of the possibility of concluding collective agreements for a fixed term. Additionally, the parties to the agreement will be able to use the help of a mediator, which will facilitate negotiations and finalization of agreements.
New rules for counting periods of employment
The planned changes are to introduce regulations that will allow for the counting of various forms of professional activity towards the length of service. This applies to:
- running your own business,
- working under a contract of mandate or other contracts for the provision of services,
- performing work under an agency contract.
Thanks to this, the regulations will be more flexible and will take into account different ways of gaining professional experience.
When will the amendment to the Labor Code enter into force?
The most important change that will enter into force at the beginning of the new year will be the increase in the minimum wage. Along with this, a new method of calculating salary supplements and unemployment benefits will be introduced. New regulations regarding collective agreements will also come into force from January 1, 2025. Although we do not yet know the exact date of introduction of changes for disabled people, their content is already known. However, changes in the calculation of length of service are not planned until the beginning of 2026.
The changes to the Labor Code 2025 will introduce many new solutions that will affect the Polish labor market. A higher minimum wage, new rules regarding employee length of service and the act on collective agreements are only some of the planned changes. Their aim is to improve working conditions and better adapt the regulations to the needs of employees and employers. It is worth starting planning changes now to prepare well for the new regulations.
See also: Working without a contract – why is it not worth it?
Share article
Tags
