The year 2026 is set to bring one of the biggest changes to recruitment and remuneration rules in Poland in many years. This is all due to the implementation of EU Directive 2023/970 on equal pay for women and men and linguistic neutrality in job titles. The new regulations are not a cosmetic adjustment to existing practices – they introduce a completely new standard intended to have a real impact on how recruitment is conducted, how candidates are communicated with, and the language used in job advertisements.
These changes will be felt by both employers and job seekers. On the one hand, they are designed to counteract pay discrimination and unequal treatment; on the other, they strengthen the candidate’s position from the very first contact with a company.
Below you will find a practical explanation of the most important rules, with an emphasis on their application in the recruitment process.
Neutral job titles – language that does not exclude
The first key area of change is linguistic neutrality in job titles. The aim of the new regulations is not to create a single “ideal” linguistic model, but to achieve a specific effect: a person taking part in recruitment should not feel overlooked or excluded because of their gender.
How should a neutral job title be understood?
In practice, it is a linguistic form that:
- does not favor any gender,
- ensures equal treatment already at the job advertisement stage,
- does not suggest whom the employer “prefers.”
No official guidelines – what next?
The Polish Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has announced that it does not plan to issue official guidelines or a list of neutral job titles. This means that responsibility for interpreting the regulations has been shifted to employers.
The lack of clear guidance may lead to interpretative differences and, in extreme cases, linguistic absurdities. However, this does not change the fact that the new regulations must be respected – also due to the risk of financial sanctions.
How to write job titles and advertisements in a neutral way?
There is no single mandatory template. The key is the final effect – the absence of any sense of discrimination on the candidate’s side. It is worth remembering that common sense is crucial and that wording should be chosen carefully.
Proven solutions:
- Dual naming, if feminine and masculine forms are commonly used:
Seller / Saleswoman
Nurse (female) / Nurse (male)
Waiter / Waitress
Cashier (male) / Cashier (female)
Receptionist (male) / Receptionist (female)
- Clarifying gender in a neutral way when no natural feminine or masculine form exists:
Machine operator – woman or man (F/M)
Assembler – woman or man (F/M)
Bricklayer – woman or man (F/M)
Welder – woman or man (F/M)
Painter – woman or man (F/M)
Electrician – woman or man (F/M)
Neutral job advertisement content – an example
Instead of suggesting whom we are looking for, it is worth using impersonal forms.
Example:
“Company is looking for a person to work in the position of: Machine Operator.”
Using the term “person” makes the content of the advertisement impersonal and does not indicate any gender preference. Such wording supports the principle of equal treatment and should be applied consistently both in the job title and in the further description of responsibilities and expectations toward candidates.
Pay transparency – the end of vague conversations
Regulations introducing greater pay transparency significantly change the current approach to recruitment and pay policy. Their goal is not only to disclose pay ranges, but to create an environment in which candidates and employees make decisions based on reliable and comparable information.
Does a job offer have to include salary information?
Although the regulations do not require salary information to be included directly in the job advertisement, the employer is obliged to provide it at one of the specified stages of the recruitment process:
- in the job advertisement, or
- before the job interview, or
- at the latest before making a job offer.
It is the employer who decides when to disclose the salary, but the recruitment process cannot force the candidate to engage in financial discussions without full knowledge of the offered pay. Importantly, this information must be provided in writing – in paper or electronic form – and not only verbally.
What does this mean in practice for a candidate?
- You have the right to ask about remuneration at an early stage of recruitment.
- Salary data should be complete and detailed, covering not only base pay but also bonuses, allowances, commissions, and other employee benefits.
- The employer does not have to respond immediately, but must provide this information before discussions about financial conditions.
- The employer is not allowed to ask about the salary you received previously – this is intended to prevent the transfer of existing pay gaps from previous workplaces.
Thanks to this, the candidate can realistically prepare for negotiations and consciously decide whether a given offer is attractive.
Pay transparency after employment
The new regulations do not end at the recruitment stage. Employees gain the right to information about pay levels for comparable positions within the organization, as well as about the rules for granting raises and promotions. In practice, this means the need to organize pay policy and clearly define performance evaluation criteria.
For employers, this is an organizational challenge, but also an opportunity – transparent rules reduce the risk of conflicts, strengthen team trust, and build the company’s credibility in a competitive labor market.
Changes that cannot be avoided
The new regulations in Poland regarding pay transparency and neutral job titles are not a temporary trend, but a lasting change in labor market standards. For candidates, they mean greater predictability, a sense of security, and real influence over career decisions. For employers – the need to adapt procedures, but also an opportunity to build a more transparent and trustworthy organization.
Other articles:
International Recruitment 2025 – europa.jobs Guide
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