January 2026 in Katowice brought a mixed set of signals that reflects the ambiguity of the start of the year in the city’s economy. On a year-on-year basis, average employment declined, while the average gross wage in the enterprise sector increased. The situation in registered unemployment clearly deteriorated, as the number of unemployed was much higher than a year earlier and the unemployment rate rose. At the same time, production data point to weakening activity: both sold industrial output and construction output, including construction and assembly production, were lower. Against these declines, trade stands out positively, as both retail and wholesale sales increased compared with January 2025, although the number of dwellings completed proved dramatically lower.
Employment: slight month-on-month correction and more pronounced year-on-year decline
Average employment in the enterprise sector in Katowice amounted to 127.9 thousand full-time equivalents in January 2026. Compared with December 2025, this represented a marginal decrease of 0.1%, suggesting a seasonal adjustment rather than a sudden deterioration in conditions. More significant, however, was the annual decline, as employment was 1.9% lower than in January 2025. This result indicates that the city’s labour market is entering 2026 with a smaller employment base than a year earlier.
Structure of employment changes: support services under pressure, transport growing
On a month-on-month basis, employment fell most sharply in administrative and support service activities and in accommodation and food services. Declines were also recorded in construction, trade, and information and communication, consistent with the seasonal nature of January, when some sectors scale back after a busy year-end period. At the same time, employment increased in industry, transportation and storage, and professional, scientific and technical activities. On an annual basis, the picture is more challenging: declines mainly affected administrative and support services and industry, while employment in transport and logistics rose strongly, suggesting a shift in activity towards operational services.
Unemployment: sharp year-on-year increase and higher unemployment rate
At the end of January 2026, 3,438 unemployed persons were registered in Katowice. This was 6.5% more than a month earlier and, more notably, as much as 46.3% more than in the same period of 2025, a very strong change for a city with a relatively low unemployment rate. The registered unemployment rate rose to 1.6%, up from 1.5% a month earlier and 1.1% a year earlier. In practice, although the unemployment level remains low, the pace of deterioration in the labour market is clear and may affect consumer sentiment and companies’ hiring decisions.
Labour office data: more registrations and a moderately better offer ratio
In January 2026, 618 unemployed persons were newly registered, a result clearly higher than a month earlier and higher than a year earlier. A total of 409 individuals were deregistered, some of whom took up employment, indicating that turnover remains active, but with rising inflows it is insufficient to reduce the overall unemployment level. There were 22 registered unemployed persons per job offer, slightly better than a month earlier but weaker than typically expected during a clear upswing. It should also be noted that the comparability of historical data may be partially affected by changes in registration and record-keeping rules following the entry into force of a new act on 1 June 2025.
Wages: seasonal decline after December, but annual growth maintained
The average monthly gross wage in the enterprise sector amounted to PLN 9,711.53 in January 2026. Compared with December, it decreased by 8.4%, which is typical for January, when bonuses and annual payments disappear. On a year-on-year basis, however, wages increased by 4.2%, suggesting that wage pressure remains present despite weaker labour market indicators. Sectoral data show that annual increases were recorded in many industries, with construction standing out particularly strongly, while month-on-month declines were broadly spread across most sections.
Construction: clear weakening of output and declining productivity
Sold construction output in January 2026 amounted to PLN 205.0 million and was lower both compared with December and with January 2025. On an annual basis, the decline reached 20.3%, while construction and assembly production was 13.0% lower than a year earlier, confirming weaker sector activity. Declines primarily affected civil engineering and specialised construction works, although building construction was the only segment to record a slight year-on-year increase. In addition, labour productivity measured by output per employee declined, suggesting weaker resource utilisation and a less favourable structure of completed works.
Industry: production decline and a sharp slump in manufacturing
Sold industrial production in January 2026 amounted to PLN 2,011.9 million and was 7.2% lower in constant prices than in January 2025. Manufacturing was hit even harder, with sold production down 24.3% year on year, pointing to a clear cooling of demand or disruptions in order books in parts of the sector. Declines affected, among others, the production of food products and metal and plastic products, which is significant for local supply chains. At the same time, some individual divisions recorded increases, but this did not change the overall picture of a weaker January. Labour productivity in industry was lower in real terms than a year earlier, further reinforcing the conclusion of deteriorating production conditions.
Trade: retail sales growth and a strong signal from wholesale
Retail sales in January 2026 were clearly lower than in December, which is typical for the post-holiday period, but compared with January 2025 they increased by as much as 14.2%. Year-on-year growth appeared in several categories, including vehicles and the “other” group, which may indicate greater willingness to spend in selected areas despite a weaker labour market. At the same time, wholesale sales increased both in trading enterprises and in wholesale companies, suggesting that some firms may have expanded turnover or rebuilt supply volumes. This combination – retail up and wholesale also up – is one of the brighter elements of the January data set.
Housing: extremely low number of completed dwellings in the city
In January 2026, only 10 dwellings were completed in Katowice, representing a 97.0% decrease compared with the same period in 2025. This figure is so low that it likely reflects the specifics of investment schedules rather than solely a change in demand, but it is nevertheless a strong signal for local supply. Importantly, all dwellings completed in the city came from individual construction, and the number of new housing starts was very low. On the other hand, the number of building permits increased severalfold, suggesting that some projects may still be in preparation and postponed rather than cancelled.
Conclusions: consumption holding up better than production, but the labour market sends a warning
The data for January 2026 portray Katowice as a city where rising wages do not fully offset the deterioration in labour market indicators. The most worrying element is the sharp year-on-year increase in unemployment, which over time may affect consumer demand and firms’ investment decisions. At the same time, in “hard” sectors – industry and construction – there is clear weakening of activity, which may have consequences in the coming months if orders and investment do not rebound. Trade remains the positive exception, with both retail and wholesale growing year on year, suggesting that part of the economy continues to operate with positive momentum. The biggest unknown remains housing, as the extremely low number of completed dwellings contrasts with the increase in permits, indicating shifts in project timelines that will only show their full effect later in 2026.
