By Contributor,Klaudia Radecka,Lidia Kurasinska
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Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy, speaks during a press briefing on the shortened working time pilot in front of the Krakow City Office in Krakow, Poland, on July 2, 2025. (Photo by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Poland will launch a pilot program in 2026 testing a shorter workweek, the first of its kind in eastern Europe.
Dozens of companies that volunteered for the program will choose whether to shift to a three-day weekend, reduce daily working hours, or expand vacation time, all without cutting pay or benefits.
The initiative aims to measure the model’s efficiency and determine whether it can be expanded nationwide.
“The eight-hour workday was introduced in Poland 107 years ago. Since that time, new technologies have significantly increased work efficiency,” said Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, minister of family, labor and social policy.
The government has set aside 50 million zloty (about $13.5 million) for the pilot, with each participating employer eligible for up to 1 million zloty (about $270,000) to offset costs.
Nearly 2,000 companies from both the public and private sectors have applied. “The figures clearly signal concern for employees and the economy’s future,” Dziemianowicz-Bąk said.
In mid-October, the government will select participants to ensure the trial reflects a wide range of industries and company sizes.
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Balancing benefits and risks
Experts caution that a shorter workweek could strain sectors already grappling with labor shortages, including health care, transportation and construction.
Still, business groups see potential benefits. The Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers has welcomed the initiative, emphasizing that it gives businesses a chance to experiment with new models.
“This initiative allows businesses to test new working models with financial support from the government,” says Emilia Szczukowska, regulatory affairs analyst at the union.
She stresses that any long-term change should be flexible rather than imposed from the top down. “To avoid harming the economy while still improving workers’ quality of life, measures must be voluntary, tested first and tailored to each sector,” she says.
Shrinking workforce, rising demands
The government argues that a shorter workweek may become a necessity as Poland faces severe demographic challenges.
In 2024, the country’s fertility rate fell to 1.09, the lowest in the European Union and among the lowest globally. Births dropped to 252,000, the lowest since World War II, marking the 12th consecutive year of more deaths than births. Nearly one-quarter of the population (23.8%) is above retirement age, up from 16.8% in 2010.
Łukasz Chodkowski, co-founder of the 7/4/3 Initiative, which advocates for shorter workweeks, says the trial could improve work-life balance. But he believes the most significant effect may be encouraging older people to stay in the workforce longer.
“Extending their professional activity could ease employers’ labor shortages, partly offsetting the demographic decline in labor supply,” he says.
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