New labor law: what changes in 2026?

Last year, Christmas Eve became a day off from work, wage transparency was introduced, and the recruitment process gained a neutrality requirement. What changes will 2026 bring and what are the first observations after these reforms?

though the decision to establish Christmas Eve as a day off from work Minister Agnieszka Diemienowicz-Bąk met with a stormy debate, the consequences of which are only beginning to be seen. Opponents pointed out, among other things, potential complications for employers in the trade and services sector and the risk of increasing labor costs during the Christmas period. Supporters stressed the social benefits — strengthening family values, improving the quality of life of employees and the chance to better prepare for the holidays. Since we can only observe the effects after the first free Christmas Eve, it is difficult to judge unequivocally which arguments will prevail.

Transparency of remuneration has also triggered an avalanche of comments, often stemming from incomplete information or misinterpretation of legislation. The slogan “pay transparency” automatically raised concerns about privacy violations or mutual surveillance in the media. In fact, salary disclosure is about revealing the pay ranges for a given position, rather than the specific amounts that employees earn. Such transparency makes it possible to compare salaries between companies, counteracts wage discrimination and increases worker mobility, which is important in the context of the labour market.

It was no different with Neutrality Requirement in Recruitment, which aroused emotions mainly because of the language difficulties in Polish and the more broadly understood equality policy. Unlike English, Polish is less likely to allow neutral abbreviations or grammatical forms, which required minor changes in the terminology used and recruitment documents. Neutrality is not just a linguistic change — it has a real impact on reducing discrimination and increasing diversity in the workplace by promoting an inclusive and open culture.

There has also been a change in regulation collective labour agreements, which from 13 December 2025 are covered by the new Act on Collective Agreements and Agreements. This change has generated a lot of comments from both employers and employees. The previous procedure for registering layouts was perceived as time-consuming and bureaucratic — it required applications to the District Labor Inspectorates and the Ministry. The new law brings all the regulations on collective agreements from the Labor Code into a separate law and introduces the National Register of Collective Labor Agreements (KEUZP), which is intended to increase transparency and facilitate access to information.

Changes in practice mean that collective agreements can be concluded both for a fixed and indefinite period, and the list of issues that can be regulated in them is open, giving employees and employers greater flexibility in determining the terms of cooperation. The procedure for extending inter-company arrangements has been simplified, which should speed up the implementation of solutions that benefit a larger group of employees. As in the case of salary transparency or recruitment neutrality, The new rules are not just a formality: they make collective agreements more effective, promote social dialogue and can contribute to greater job stability. Although we are only now beginning to see the practical effects of this change, the first signs indicate that these facilitations can be beneficial for both companies and employees.

New year = new labor laws

Perhaps the most significant change for employees, effective from January 1, 2026, is new definition of seniority. After years of no significant changes to civil law contracts and doing business, which did little to protect workers anyway, this amendment can be considered a real workers' revolution. The previous regulations did not allow years worked on the basis of civil law contracts or doing business to be included in seniority, which directly translated into the absence of vacation entitlements or lower benefits upon leaving work. Thanks to the new definition, an employee who previously worked on the basis of:

contract or other contract for the provision of services,
agency agreement,
cooperation with a person conducting business activity,
membership in an agricultural production cooperative,
membership in a cooperative of agricultural circles,

will have the right not only to a longer vacation (if the number of years worked exceeds 8), but also to a higher severance pay, internship allowance or a jubilee award. According to Biznes.gov: “The internship will also include gainful work performed abroad on a basis other than the employment relationship.”

It is important that addition of periods of work from civil law contracts or business activities requires the presentation of relevant documents, for example, confirmation of payment of contributions to ZUS. That is, these periods can be considered as seniority only if the employee at that time was subject to pension and disability insurance.

Work contract: known to cultural institutions, unknown to ZUS

This type of contract is primarily known to people engaged in artistic work, especially those who have worked in Polish cultural institutions. The work contract is formally “excluded” from labor law; it does not require the employer to pay social security contributions. The employee can only voluntarily apply to the Social Insurance Institution and pay the pension and annuity contributions himself in order to add this period to the length of service. On the one hand, the contract for a work fits the nature of the artistic work and allows the transfer of copyright, which is why it is often concluded in artistic environments. Unfortunately, this has consequences — workers in this sector are often doomed to lack other employment opportunities and have a much greater responsibility for their own safety, health and future. For employers, on the other hand, it is a convenient solution, because it allows you to avoid employment costs, because from the point of view of running an institution or business, the cost of an employee is often treated as a financial burden.

Minus for the employee:

Financial cost - voluntary contributions can amount to several hundred zlotys per month.
Lack of full protection - contributions include only pension and annuity; there is no sick leave, accident or vacation entitlement.
Formalities - self-filing takes time and knowledge, and errors or interruptions in payments may result in the loss of recognition of the working period.

Minus for the employer:

Potential cost - if the legislator required the payment of contributions (as in the case of a contract of assignment), there would be a real cost of about 20-25% of the salary, which increases the cost of employment.

In practice, this means that the system continues to reward people who have the knowledge, time and resources to pay contributions on their own, while the rest remain in a less advantageous position. This is a classic example of a mechanism that, on the one hand, gives “freedom of choice” and on the other hand transfers risks and costs to the employee, rather than introducing equal protection.

Raising the minimum wage

This change is not surprising, because for years the minimum wage has been increased every year, largely in line with rising living costs and inflation. The only thing that can surprise you is the amount of the increase itself. From January 1, 2026, the minimum wage for work will be PLN 4806, which means a difference of PLN 140 gross compared to the minimum rate from 2025. Translating this into hours, for people accepting orders or providing services, the minimum rate will be PLN 31.40 per hour. Of course, the increase also affects other rates used in calculating salaries and benefits, e.g. social security contributions, sickness or maternity benefits.

Trailer for the next changes in 2026

In the current year, we will have several more changes covering labor law, among them: extension of the competence of inspectors of the State Labour Inspectorate, amendments to the Act on the Social Security System, introduction of a new law concerning combating mobbing and discrimination and the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive.

The planned changes will certainly resonate widely among employers, as they largely concern issues related to the organization of the new reality of work. For employees, most of these changes appear to be beneficial — affecting safety of work and ensuring greater legal control of the relationship between them and the employer. At the same time, all the above-mentioned regulations slightly change the image of work in Poland in general. Although the actions of the current Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy are quite surprising and even controversial for many, they also show that it is behind these reactions strong mental image of employers and employees. Because although these changes, looking at countries where labor law plays a stronger role, are not at all as revolutionary as it might seem, for some of us in Poland they play a role A Social Catalyst for Frustration. Through these discussions, we can look at how we perceive the role of the state in labor relations, what social justice is to us, and how we define our “freedom” in the capitalist labor market. Sources: