“A wave of layoffs in Poland is hitting with a force that many still fail to see – but if the state doesn’t wake up in time, everyone will feel its effects. This is already Tusk’s second law – when Donald Tusk takes the helm, not only public debt but also unemployment rises,” wrote Law and Justice (PiS) MP Mateusz Morawiecki on X. According to the politician, “if today we lack courage and vision, tomorrow we will pay the price in the form of lasting unemployment and weakened competitiveness of the entire economy.“
Wave of layoffs in Polish companies
The situation in the Polish labor market is deteriorating sharply. According to the latest data from Statistics Poland (GUS), 156 companies have reported plans to lay off more than 77,000 employees. The largest cuts are planned in the public sector, but private companies are also preparing reductions. Experts warn that these are only official figures and that the real scale of layoffs may be much greater. Mateusz Morawiecki, MP from Law and Justice (PiS), commented on these alarming reports on platform X.
“A wave of layoffs in Poland is hitting with a force that many still fail to see – but if the state doesn’t wake up in time, everyone will feel its effects. This is already Tusk’s second law – when Donald Tusk takes the helm, not only public debt but also unemployment rises. The unemployment rate is climbing – up by 0.5 percentage points year-on-year. At the end of August, over 850,000 people were registered as unemployed, nearly 11% more than in August of the previous year. According to GUS, by the end of August, 156 companies had reported plans to lay off 77,000 employees as part of planned group redundancies. This is not a single malfunction – it’s a systemic warning signal,” wrote the former prime minister.
These sectors are most at risk
The politician also indicated “who is most at risk:“
“Public sector – large institutions such as PKP Cargo and Poczta Polska have long been “looking for savings” at the expense of workers.
Business services, IT, customer support, consulting – shared service centers that the government sought to attract are now planning to lay off thousands.
Retail and logistics – Makro is closing warehouses and announcing layoffs across various regions of Poland. In Kraków alone, since the beginning of the year, group redundancies affecting nearly 4,000 people have been reported. This is no longer a margin – it’s the scale of a local crisis.“
The Law and Justice (PiS) MP warned that without proper intervention, this could lead to very negative consequences for the economy, such as:
“Pressure on local labor markets: existing regional centers may repeat the story of Łódź after the collapse of its industrial monoculture.
Consumption freeze – those who lose their jobs will cut spending, which will hit other industries.
Widening inequalities – those with reserves will survive, while others will be trapped in an epic employment crisis.
A crisis of trust – if the state does not intervene, citizens will lose faith that the government acts for them rather than against them.“
“It is clear that the current government has no coherent strategy for difficult times. Instead of proactive economic policy and anticipating trends, we are witnessing firefighting – often only after the blaze has already consumed a significant part of the labor market. This is a lack of responsibility for the future of Polish families and businesses,” Morawiecki declared.
In his view, “the state cannot be a passive commentator of events – it must be their participant and organizer.“
“If today we lack courage and vision, tomorrow we will pay the price in the form of lasting unemployment and weakened competitiveness of the entire economy. I will not accept putting citizens against the wall – when Tusk’s state fails as a guarantor of social stability, we are presenting new economic program proposals. This is a time for swift action, not more symbolic gestures!” he concluded.