Gdańsk in January 2026: More Jobs and Higher Wages, but Unemployment Rises; Industry Up, Construction Down, Trade Strong
January 2026 brought a mixed set of signals in Gdańsk. In the enterprise sector, “hard” indicators such as wages and employment improved – both were higher than a year earlier. At the same time, registered labour market indicators deteriorated: the number of unemployed increased and the unemployment rate rose. In the real economy, industry expanded in constant prices, while the construction and assembly segment of construction weakened markedly. Retail trade stood out most spectacularly, posting very strong year-on-year growth, alongside more diversified trends in wholesale. In the background, the number of dwellings completed declined, despite a very strong increase in the number of building permits issued.
Employment: Year-on-Year Growth and Positive Month-on-Month Change
Average employment in the enterprise sector amounted to 118.5 thousand full-time equivalents. This was 0.4% higher than in December 2025 and 1.0% higher than in January 2025. Compared with many cities where January often brings job cuts, this looks like a stable start to the year locally, with clear support from manufacturing and transport.
What Increased and What Declined in the Employment Structure
On a month-on-month basis, employment increased in manufacturing (+2.7%) and in transportation and storage (+1.1%). Declines were recorded in construction (-4.4%) and trade (-3.0%).
On a year-on-year basis, the strongest job growth was visible in transport and logistics (+5.1%) and in trade (+4.1%), while professional, scientific and technical activities recorded a significant decline (-8.1%). This marks an important shift: “operational” sectors are expanding, while more expert-driven service segments are performing more weakly.
Unemployment: Rising Faster Than Employment
At the end of January 2026, the number of registered unemployed persons stood at 8,203, or 24.4% more than a year earlier. The unemployment rate increased to 3.2% (from 2.6% a year earlier). In January alone, 1,034 persons registered as unemployed, while 693 were deregistered, including 536 who took up employment.
Job vacancy indicators point to a deterioration in the balance between labour demand and supply: there were 13 unemployed persons per job offer (compared with 8 a year earlier). It should also be remembered that legal changes introduced from 1 June 2025 may have affected the comparability of some registered data, but the scale of the year-on-year increase is large enough to remain a warning signal.
Wages: Solid Year-on-Year Growth, Typical Month-on-Month Drop After December
The average monthly gross wage in the enterprise sector amounted to PLN 10,482.54. On a year-on-year basis, it was 5.9% higher, while month on month it declined by 6.4% – a classic effect of the expiration of December bonuses and allowances. Annual wage growth was broad-based, with the strongest increases recorded in professional, scientific and technical activities (+10.4%), transport (+8.1%), and information and communication (+7.8%).
Industry: Production Growth and Improved Productivity
Sold industrial production amounted to PLN 3,049.7 million and was 5.8% higher in constant prices than in January 2025. In manufacturing, growth reached 9.0%. Labour productivity in industry (output per employee) was 4.5% higher in real terms year on year, suggesting not only higher volumes but also a more favourable production structure.
At the same time, the sectoral structure showed significant disparities: spectacular growth in certain segments (e.g. clothing, plastics, chemicals, machinery repair) coexisted with declines in others (including non-metallic mineral products, printing, furniture, metals, and automotive). This reflects a “dual-speed” industry, where the overall result is positive but not evenly distributed.
Construction: Strong Year-on-Year Decline and Deep Seasonality
Sold construction output amounted to PLN 332.3 million and was 39.2% lower than a year earlier. Construction and assembly production fell by 32.8% year on year, while labour productivity was 38.3% lower year on year. The decline affected all major types of works, most notably building construction. This is one of the weakest elements of the local economy in the January data set.
Trade: Very Strong Retail, Mixed Wholesale
Retail sales were as much as 67.8% higher than in January 2025, while posting only a slight month-on-month decline (-1.2%). Such a high year-on-year dynamic is unusual and often reflects base effects, structural changes, or one-off reporting shifts – but statistically it represents a very strong rebound compared with last January.
The picture in wholesale is more mixed:
- wholesale sales in trading enterprises were 4.9% higher year on year,
- while in wholesale enterprises they were 9.4% lower year on year.
This may suggest that part of wholesale turnover is shifting towards companies with a different (mixed) trade profile, or that wholesale as a standalone segment is facing weaker B2B demand despite strong retail performance.
Housing: Fewer Completions, but Many More Permits
In January 2026, 159 dwellings were completed in Gdańsk, 20.1% fewer than a year earlier. The decline affected both individual construction and units for sale or rent. At the same time, the number of permits (or project-based notifications) reached 449 and was several times higher than a year earlier. This is a classic “cycle mismatch”: fewer units are being delivered now, but the formal pipeline for future investment is expanding significantly.
REGON: More Companies, but Also More Suspensions
At the end of January 2026, there were 104,150 entities registered in the REGON register, 3.6% more than a year earlier. The number of commercial companies and sole proprietorships increased year on year. At the same time, the number of suspended entities rose (to 16,711), which can signal uncertainty in the micro and small business segment, even if the total number of entities continues to grow.
Conclusions: “Businesses Grow, the Labour Market Under Strain”
The data for January 2026 form a distinctive profile: companies are raising wages and maintaining (or even increasing) employment, and industry is expanding in real terms. At the same time, registered unemployment is rising and the ratio of unemployed persons to job offers is deteriorating, which may reflect skills mismatches, a higher inflow into unemployment registers, or transitional frictions following legal changes in registration rules. The biggest downside is construction (declining output and productivity) and the lower number of completed dwellings, although the rise in permits suggests that part of the investment cycle may return in the coming quarters.
