The registered unemployment rate in September 2026 stood at 5.8%, the same as in August, according to preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, published on Monday, 12 October.
At the end of September, 908.3 thousand unemployed people were registered at labour offices. According to ministry data cited by TVN24, that is 1.2 thousand fewer than a month earlier, but 42.2 thousand more than in September 2025. The result is in line with forecasts from economists surveyed by PAP Biznes, who expected the rate to hold at 5.8%.
Job offers
In September, 38.1 thousand vacancies and job activation places were reported to labour offices. That is 2.8 thousand more than in August, but 3 thousand fewer than in September last year.
Regional differences
The registered unemployment rate varies considerably by region. The lowest was in Greater Poland Voivodeship (3.8%), and the highest in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (9.3%). Compared with August, unemployment fell by 0.1 percentage points in three voivodeships, rose by 0.1 percentage points in two, and did not change in eleven.
As in August, the lowest unemployment was recorded in Poznań County (1.4%), in Poznań (1.6%) and in Warsaw (1.7%).
Who is registering at labour offices
Among people registering in September, the largest number had previously worked in wholesale and retail trade (13.0% of inflows), manufacturing (12.2%), and administrative and support service activities (5.6%). The main reasons for registration cited by the unemployed were obtaining health insurance (40.2%) and help in finding a job (39.8%).
What it means
The registered unemployment rate is stagnant, but over the year the number of unemployed has risen by more than 42 thousand people. Job prospects are best in voivodeships with low unemployment, such as Greater Poland, while the situation remains most difficult in Warmia and Masuria. The data are preliminary; final results for September will be published by Statistics Poland (GUS), which also reports unemployment according to the Labour Force Survey (BAEL) methodology.
For comparison, according to GUS, in August the number of registered unemployed was 909.5 thousand and the rate was 5.8%.
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