What does the student want? Work, housing, earnings and expectations

Students today do not constitute a homogeneous group — they differ in their housing, professional and financial situation. In the academic year 2025/2026 1,322 million people studied in Poland - about 43,000 more than a year earlier. This is a large group that is important not only for the higher education system, but also for the labor market. According to the study “Student at work 2026” of the Polish Business Council over 50% of students declare that they work professionally, regularly or occasionally. The average income of a working student was 4148 zł net monthly, which is 14% more than a year earlier, when it was PLN 3,623.

The upcoming academic year marks the return of students to universities in October. This is especially evident in large cities, where students constitute a large social group - not only from the perspective of cultural life, but also from the perspective of the labor market. Employers may benefit from the employment of students, among other things, due to the popularity of civil law contracts and the special rules on contributions for some students. At the same time, the situation of students in the labor market is strongly linked to their housing situation and the cost of living. For some young people, working during their studies is a way to gain their first work experience, for others - a necessity to cover the costs of daily living. Therefore, the questions are becoming more and more important: where to look for a job during your studies, under what conditions, in what time frame and in what industry?

How do you sleep, how do you sleep? Housing issues a handicap for students

Although many voices can be heard in the public debate, especially representatives of the older generations, about the alleged “unwillingness” of today's young, the data show a much more complicated picture. It is difficult to talk about complete independence, when a significant part of the income is absorbed by the cost of housing. In such conditions, the slogan “hard work always pays” does not necessarily correspond to the reality that people who start adult life face. From the report “Students in the real estate market”, prepared for the seventh time by the AMRON Center in cooperation with the team of the Warsaw Institute of Banking Foundation, shows that 42% of respondents had to face increases in fees for an apartment or room in the academic year 2024/2025. In most cases, the increases did not exceed 10%. The remaining 58% of respondents did not experience an increase in rental costs. As the authors of the report emphasize, this situation may be related, among other things, to the conclusion of long-term lease agreements by some students.

On the basis of 2.1k surveys data on where and how students live in Poland were also collected from full-time and part-time studies, first and second cycle studies. The most common form of residence among the subjects was sharing an apartment or house - 41% of respondents indicated it. The next 27% rented a residential premises or house jointly with another person. As for dorms, the public dormitory turned out to be a more popular choice - lived in it 18% of respondents. In total, he lived in public and private dormitories 22% of students. The most rarely chosen form was independent living in private real estate - only 10% of respondents could afford an apartment or house exclusively.

One of the most important criteria for choosing a place of residence remain, of course costs. till 35% of students answered that over the past year their rental costs have increased from 5 to 10%. This shows that for students not only the starting price of the rent is important, but also the terms of the contract, which can specify, among other things, the rules and the deadline for informing about increases. According to the report, rental prices are rising. More than half of the surveyed students declared that their monthly rental costs exceed 1000 PLN, which represents an increase of 16 percentage points compared to the previous year. The other criteria for choosing an apartment include, of course location, availability of public transport, standard of premises and security of the area.

The crisis of homelessness among young people

It is worth adding that the participants of the last edition of the study for the academic year 2024/2025 were students 37 universities in 18 cities. The vast majority were full-time students - 84% of respondents - and the largest group of respondents were first-cycle students, who were responsible for more than 77% of all respondents. This means that a significant group in the study consisted of very young people, just starting higher education and often entering the labour market at the same time without previous experience.

Looking at these data, it is difficult not to pay attention to another problem concerning the younger generation as well - Homelessness Crisis. In recent years, this topic has increasingly appeared in the public debate, among other things because of the activities Foundation “After the Second”, which in Warsaw runs a house with 16 places for young people and young adults experiencing homelessness, while supporting them in building an independent life. According to data published in June this year by the foundation, during a nationwide census of people in the homelessness crisis organized by Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy in March 2026, it was calculated 1232 people between the ages of 18 and 25. In 2024, there were 1,022 of them. These data do not show the full scale of the phenomenon, but indicate an increase in the number of young people experiencing homelessness. Young people account for about 4% of the total population in the homelessness crisis. The largest group is made up of people aged 41-60 years - about 46% - and people aged 60 and over - about 32%.

How much does self-reliance cost?

As for the prices for renting rooms and studios in large cities, that is, where the largest and most popular academic centers are located, the costs are also not among the lowest.

According to the data cited by Business Insider students are increasingly looking for not only studios, but also rooms. The average cost of renting a room was about PLN 1400 in Warsaw, PLN 1300 in Gdansk, PLN 1200 in Krakow and Wrocław, PLN 1100 in Poznan and PLN 900 in Katowice, Łódź and Lublin. In the case of studios, based on Otodom data, the monthly rental cost in large cities is approximately in the range PLN 2200—3300. In such conditions, work during studies becomes for many young people not so much an addition to education as one of the elements that allow them to stay in the housing market.

Student expectations: higher wages and better working conditions

According to the report “Student at work 2026”, nearly half of the students surveyed earned 3-6 thousand PLN net per month. 18,5% had a monthly income in the range 4-5 thousand PLN. Simultaneously 44% of students worked on a contract.

Given these data, it is easier to understand why the issue of earnings is so important for students. If about half of those studying take a job, it is worth looking at their situation more broadly, especially as they gain their first work experience in this way, at the same time educating themselves and preparing to enter the labor market after obtaining a diploma. The study also asked about students' earning ambitions in the next 12 months, three years and ten years.

For the next 12 months:

• nearly every fourth student (24%) would like to receive a salary of more than 20 thousand PLN,
• 14% respondents indicated as the expected level of remuneration PLN 10—12 thousand.

IN Three-year perspective Expectations are leveling up a bit:

• 31% respondents expect earnings in excess of 20 thousand PLN,
• after about 10— 13% indicated intervals PLN 10—12 thousand, PLN 12—15 thousand and PLN 15—20 thousand.

Even more clearly, the long-term ambitions of students can be seen in a ten-year perspective.

• Within in the next 10 years, almost half (47%) Subjects would like to earn more than 20 thousand PLN.
• 15% dreams of a salary of the order PLN 15—20 thousand.
• 13% The students indicated the amount 12—15 thousand PLN.
• 12% – PLN 10—12 thousand.

Although terms such as “dreams”, “counts” or “would like” appear repeatedly in the report, it is worth looking at these declarations more broadly. Students are not a passive group of respondents, and their financial expectations can be linked not only to ambition, but also to the assessment of living conditions, the cost of living and the conviction of the value of the effort put into work and education at the same time.

Student on the labor market: what does he need?

The image of the student that emerges from the data is much more complex than the stereotype of a young person who “makes money” after class. For some students, work is a way to gain experience and start a professional career, for others — a necessity resulting from the cost of housing and everyday life. At the same time, expectations about salary, employment conditions and the possibility of reconciling work with education are increasing. Therefore, the question of work for students It shouldn't just be about where to find an offer. It becomes equally important whether the proposed conditions allow a young person to simultaneously work, study and build a relatively stable life situation.

For employers, this in turn means looking at students not only as flexible employees, but also as a group with specific needs and increasingly defined expectations of the labour market.

Sources:

1. https://swresearch.pl/news/zarobki-studentow
2. https://www.zbp.pl/aktualnosci/raporty-i-analizy/studenci-na-rynku-nieruchomosci-2025
3. https://www.facebook.com/podrugie/posts/pfbid0tBqKKmbwgHTM7QmEcrNw1awPMu9Rih1WcUAjdXp4PnYKb5k56rXYRVnYUHyyXt3Pl
4. https://oko.press/rekordowa-liczba-mlodych-ludzi-bezdomnych
5. https://businessinsider.com.pl/nieruchomosci/ile-kosztuje-wynajem-dla-studenta-w-2026-r-ceny-pokoi-i-kawalerek-w-najwiekszych/l88cnkm