Salaries of IT specialists in Poland in 2025
In life, money isn’t everything, but at work, it is one of the most important motivations. The pandemic significantly strengthened the position of candidates, allowing them to obtain rises of 20-30% annually. Then, they faced the harsh reality of double-digit inflation and expected employers to compensate for the rising cost of living.
However, inflation also affected companies: energy, raw material, and resource prices increased, and the recession forced budget cuts. Despite these difficulties, more than half of IT specialists received wage rises in the last year, although only about one-third of respondents saw salary increases exceeding 10%. The salaries of nearly 36% of respondents remained nominally unchanged, which meant a real decrease in their value. As a result, these employees could afford less, despite stable or slightly higher salaries. This situation, i.e., stagnation or real decline in salaries, is a new phenomenon in the Polish IT job market, particularly noticeable in the area of contracts.
What’s next? Salary growth in the Polish economy is expected to be around 7% in 2025 (NBP data), with inflation forecast at 4.3%. In the Awareson survey, onethird of IT professionals expect salaries to remain at a similar level or fall, as they will in 2024. Only one-fifth of respondents anticipate increases higher than 10% – the lowest percentage in the four years since we have been conducting research in this area.
The highest expectations for pay rises are held by juniors – one third of them expect a salary increase of over 10%.
At the same time, almost 10% of this group are ready to accept even lower salaries. Most respondents, especially seniors and experts, expect only small pay rises or salary stabilisation. In the context of employment form, the differences are small, but full-time employees show greater optimism about future salaries.
The IT specialist market is completely different today than it was a year ago. LinkedIn is full of stories like “I’ve been looking for a job for X months,” while at the same time there is a constantly growing number of vacancies. Specialists now primarily value stability and peace at work, often accepting even slightly lower rates. Fully remote work will still be a big advantage in recruiting experienced employees, especially where “returning to the office” has no substantive justification (dispersed teams, work with remote clients), and only results from the managers’ “need for control”, or has purely economic justification (e.g., tax exemptions related to R&D centres). The key to attracting a senior will be presenting prospects and plans for 2-3 years ahead and indicating opportunities for further development in the organisation. Companies should also invest in training and improving the competencies of middle-level management staff to ensure co-operation between managers and specialists runs as smoothly as possible and without friction. Long-term peace and stability are currently the most desirable elements of job offers.
Sebastian Fyda
Cloud Architect at Awareson, CTO Sprzedajemy.pl
This situation poses new challenges for HR departments, such as how to acquire talents and build their engagement, placing greater emphasis on non-financial motivators.
Although two-thirds of managers plan rises, in most cases they will only amount to a few percent. Interestingly, managers seem to be more optimistic than the candidates themselves.
The dynamic increase in salaries in the IT industry in recent years put strong financial pressure on employers. The current stabilisation is an important signal to verify the organisation’s recruitment plans: who does the company need and how to get such people. Candidates have become more flexible in negotiations, and some of them are lowering their financial expectations on their own. This trend, supported by a decline in global demand for remote workers, creates new opportunities for HR departments.
Most candidates are ready to negotiate rates, and even lower them on their own. We haven’t had such a situation for years. Even good candidates with several years of experience are looking for work for 2-3 months. When asked about expected earnings, they give an initial amount, but immediately add that with good conditions, i.e., work that gives them development, in a well-managed project, they are willing to work for 10-15% less. This mainly applies to developers with 4-8 years of experience. Employees in the project management area: project managers, scrum masters are even more flexible. As a rule, seniors and experts don’t lower their rates, but they have always been ready to talk and negotiate compensation within 10%. For them, what matters most is what the project is about, the company’s brand, innovation, and the possibility of longer co-operation.
Most companies try to offer rates similar to the previous year’s. Exceptions are usually made only for the best professionals: architects, data specialists, security experts, automation specialists. Both sides talk very specifically and honestly about money.
Mateusz Radecki
Senior Key Accountr Manager at Awareson
It’s an opportunity to complement teams with highclass experts, without the need to engage in wage wars. Less financial pressure also creates room for discussions about the values that the company can offer. Candidates, especially the more experienced ones, are looking for stability, good working conditions, and opportunities for professional development. This gives HR a Chance to attract talent, not only through compensation but also through organisational culture and development prospects.
As a result, the HR department can optimise recruitment budgets, whilst building more stable and loyal teams. More effective use of company values and offering non-financial benefits in the form of stability and work atmosphere can significantly affect long-term employee engagement, as well as allow the company to stand out from the competition.
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