š·āāļø Seasonal workers 2025 ā what does the market look like and what does an employer need to know?
- dariakalenikova
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
The 2025 summer holidays demonstrate that the seasonal labor market is changing faster than ever before. What was standard just a few years agoāsuch as the rapid recruitment of students for harvesting or cateringāis now becoming a serious challenge.
What is the current market situation? What challenges are employers facing? And what can be done to effectively recruit committed seasonal workers?
š Decrease in the number of candidates
In 2007, approximately 7.5 million people aged 18ā29 lived in Poland. Today, that number is just 4.5 million. For years, this group has been a natural resource for seasonal work: flexible, mobile, and available.
As a result:
it is increasingly difficult to find students willing to work all summer long,
the share of workers over 40, retirees, and those returning to the labor market is growing,
turnover is increasing ā many candidates only take on jobs for a few days or weeks.
š§ There is seasonal work in these industries ā not only in agriculture
Although seasonal work is most often associated with agriculture, it encompasses a much broader range of sectors. Seasonality of employment occurs wherever there are cyclical increases in demand ā especially during summer or before holidays.
Sectors particularly vulnerable to seasonality include:
Agriculture ā fruit and vegetable harvesting, planting, crop care, field work, sorting and packaging of crops.
Tourism, catering, and hospitality ā employment in hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, campsites, and resorts (e.g., as waiters, cooks, receptionists, bartenders).
Retail ā customer service, warehouse work, inventory, and sales during peak periods.
Processing ā packaging, food production, meat, vegetable, and fruit processing.
Entertainment and events ā organizing festivals, concerts, and working in amusement parks.
Logistics and courier companies ā seasonal increases in orders (vacation, holidays), work in warehouses, sorting plants, and deliveries.
Construction ā intensification of external work during the spring and summer seasons.
For many companies, the season is not only a peak season but also a key moment for year-round financial results. Properly planned recruitment can therefore be crucial to success.
šø Salaries are rising ā but are they matching efficiency?
In 2025, seasonal workers face increasingly higher salary expectations, regardless of industry. The rates offered for entry-level seasonal work are increasingly comparable to those in more demanding sectors.
However, as employment agencies note, rising salary expectations don't always translate to productivity. Candidates with no experience can perform significantly less work than those with more experience, despite expecting higher rates.
High employee turnover remains the biggest challenge in this sector. Finding immediate workers is increasingly difficult ā even with attractive rates.
Employers use various strategies to attract candidates. They often resort to the most obvious solution ā increasing salaries. But this isn't always enough.
š Foreign workers? Possible ā but not without challenges.
More and more employers are recruiting candidates from Georgia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Colombia. This is due, in part, to the outflow of workers from Ukraine to Western Europe.
However, international recruitment presents challenges:
Candidates from distant countries are rarely interested in short-term contractsāthey prefer employment for at least six months,
additional legal formalities are required,
the recruitment and onboarding process itself is time-consuming and expensive.
āļø What matters to today's seasonal worker?
Candidates' expectations go beyond salary. They increasingly focus on:
accommodation and meals ā preferably free or at a low price,
payroll system ā weekly wages or quick settlements are preferred,
flexible schedules ā willingness to work in blocks (e.g., 2-3 weeks),
atmosphere and approach of supervisors ā employer reviews are easy to find online these days.
ā Recommendations for employers
To increase your chances of successful recruitment:
Tailor your offer to the market ā shorter contracts, flexible forms of cooperation, transparency.
Make sure you have social amenities ā accommodation, meals, and transportation ā these are standard these days, not bonuses.
Act quickly ā candidates make decisions instantly. Response time matters.
Use an employment agency ā you'll gain access to a larger database of candidates and support with paperwork.
The seasonal labor market in 2025 is a dynamic and demanding environment. Declining candidate numbers, rising salary expectations, and demographic changes mean that recruitment success depends on operational efficiency, flexibility, and good organization.
The good news? With the help of a professional employment agency, you can quickly and legally build an effective, operationally ready teamāwithout downtime or risk.
