Women are highly committed and able to quickly acquire new competences. They are able to adapt to changing market conditions, while having high empathy and a positive attitude to challenges. This is what women are like on the Polish labour market. According to the research Pracuj.pl, 76 per cent. Poles declare that they are strongly involved in the tasks they perform at work. However, despite great enthusiasm and a wide range of competences, only 48 per cent of Polish female employees feel appreciated in the workplace.

The image of women in the labour market is a topic that has been electrifying the social debate for years. Today, professionally active women have a huge capital of opportunities that they can use on an equal footing with other market participants, while constantly enriching it.

To look at the current situation of working women in Poland, Pracuj.pl conducted a survey „Women on the Polish labour market” on a group of 1039 Polish women aged 18-65. The structure of the sample was controlled, taking into account the age and size of the place of residence of the respondents. The survey involved 45 per cent of women in the white collar sector (office and white-collar work), 34 per cent of women working in the pink sector (service work), and 21 per cent of respondents working in the blue sector (manual work). More than half of the surveyed women (56%) perform their duties on the basis of an employment contract for an indefinite period of time. 53% of respondents have a university degree, 41% have a secondary education, and 86% of those surveyed are women who are currently in work.

Interestingly, almost 1/4 of the surveyed women last changed jobs more than 10 years ago, which proves the high stability of this professional group. 14% of women made such a change 5-10 years ago. However, the same number of women declare a change within 1-2 years.

76% of the surveyed Polish women declare that they are strongly involved in the tasks they perform at work. To a large extent, such declarations are made by respondents aged 55-65 – as many as 74 per cent of respondents in this area, compared to 66 per cent of employees aged 18-24.

6 out of 10 women declare that their work brings them satisfaction and they enjoy doing it. On the other hand, half of the respondents indicate that they feel that their work and its effects are appreciated by their closest environment. Slightly less, i.e. 48 per cent of female employees, feel appreciated in the workplace.

– Creating working conditions that actively support and promote women is essential for building a rewarding and inclusive work environment. Women often face barriers such as underrepresentation or limited development opportunities. By actively recognizing and recognizing their achievements, organizations show that their contributions are not only visible, but crucial to the success of the entire organization. The inclusion of women in decision-making processes and dialogues at all levels of organisation is equally important. Such activities ensure that gender perspectives are evenly represented and add value to companies’ strategies and initiatives. This approach not only contributes to women’s personal growth and job satisfaction, but is also a driving force for the organization, enabling the creation of a more engaged, motivated and diverse workforce,” says Agnieszka Bieniak, HR Director at Pracuj.pl.

41% of respondents declare that work is not an important part of their lives, but only a source of income. Only 36 per cent of the surveyed women believe that above-average commitment to duties pays off for the employee. On the other hand, 34% of respondents focus only on formal duties at work, trying to avoid additional tasks. On the other hand, 1 in 5 Polish female employees admit that their work does not bring them satisfaction, so they do the bare minimum.

Almost half of the surveyed women (47%) declare that they are currently looking for a job or plan to change their current one in the near future. This percentage decreases with age, but in most of the surveyed groups it remains at a high level, indicating high professional mobility of Polish women present on the labour market.

As many as 86% of respondents, on the other hand, declare openness to a new, interesting job offer, if one would appear in the coming months. Interestingly, the percentage of respondents is very high (89 per cent) in the 18-44 age groups and slightly decreasing among women in the 45-54 age groups (83 per cent) and 55-65 years old (74 per cent). This means that among economically active women, the vast majority will decide to change jobs if they receive a good enough offer.

When applying, they count on certain standards. 84% of the surveyed women expect employers to include information about the proposed salary in job offers. Polish employees want to know immediately what they are dealing with and make decisions about sending their CVs based on that. It’s not surprising that when putting their effort into applications, women have their expectations of employers. When preparing their CV in response to job offers, 56% of them try to tailor the documents to the needs of a specific employer.

The most common reason pushing Polish women to make a change is the desire to improve their financial situation and earn better in their new workplace – as many as 50 per cent of all surveyed women indicated this issue as the most important aspect. Such declarations are made by women in all analysed age ranges, although the respondents aged 25-34 stand out the most, of whom as many as 58% cited this aspect as the most important driver of change.

What else makes Polish women look for better jobs for themselves? 28% of respondents declare that they do not have opportunities for development or promotion in their current organization. On the other hand, 1/4 say that the reason for changing jobs is the fact that they do not feel appreciated in their current companies. 22% of women who are looking for a job are currently unemployed. Almost 1/5 of women plan to change their industry or profession when changing jobs. According to 18% of respondents, the desire for change is due to the bad atmosphere in the current company.

– The contemporary labour market in Poland is undergoing dynamic changes, which clearly affect the professional decisions of Polish women. We are observing a trend in which women are more and more bold in pursuing their career ambitions, looking for jobs that offer not only adequate remuneration, but also opportunities for development and promotion, as well as a sense of appreciation. The lack of these elements in the current workplaces becomes a serious motivating factor to change employment – emphasizes Agata Roszkiewicz, an expert on remuneration and benefits at Pracuj.pl. And she adds: „Interestingly, Polish women see fewer and fewer obstacles in this context, they are even open to changing their industry or profession. This indicates flexibility and openness to new challenges, as well as the search for career paths that are more in line with their passions or better suited to changing life circumstances. For employers, it is therefore more important than ever to build healthy work environments with a supportive culture, which is key to maintaining high levels of job satisfaction and overall employee well-being.

In a dynamically changing labour market, they are able to adapt quickly – 53% of women positively assess artificial intelligence recommendations for the most suitable job offers. In the case of the men surveyed, the percentage is 49 percent. Women would also be more likely to take advantage of AI’s suggestions for profile or CV additions to increase the chance of being noticed by employers – 55% of women have a positive opinion of them compared to 51% of men.

Almost 6 out of 10 women disagree with the statement that their lack of knowledge of new technologies is a challenge for them when looking for a job. Also in this matter, women believe in their abilities to a greater extent than men (58% vs. 54%).

When asked about their strengths in the professional context, women most often mention independence in performing tasks (63 per cent), the ability to acquire new knowledge (56 per cent), the ability to adapt to new conditions (49 per cent) and the ability to quickly learn new technologies (47 per cent). They also see their strength in a positive attitude towards challenges and difficulties at work (46 per cent), empathy towards colleagues (45 per cent) and building good relationships with superiors (42 per cent) and clients (41 per cent).

The power and importance of women in the labour market cannot be overstated. As innovators and leaders of change, women bring invaluable perspectives and skills that enrich jobs and drive economic growth. By breaking down barriers and creating inclusive environments, employers can unlock the full potential of the labour market, ensuring a future where women’s contributions are recognised, valued and used for the benefit of organisations and society. The development and success of companies are inextricably linked to the empowerment of women in the labour market.

The survey was conducted in September 2023 by ARC Rynek i Opinia on behalf of Pracuj.pl. The measurement was made using the CAWI method on a sample of 1039 Polish women aged 18-65. The structure of the sample was controlled taking into account the age and size of the place of residence of the respondents.

Source: https://www.prawo.pl/kadry/kobiety-na-polskim-rynku-pracy-badanie-pracujpl,525759.html

Supported by Norway through Norway Grants 2014-2021, in the frame of the Programme “Social Dialogue – Decent Work”.