A year ago, Poland’s tech and finance sectors felt the weight of uncertainty. In tech, job postings had plummeted for two consecutive years amid budget cuts and hiring freezes, leaving professionals questioning if the post-pandemic boom was truly over. Finance, though more stable with consistent employment gains, faced similar challenges from automation efficiencies and skill shifts, as firms moved to advanced, high-value roles.
Then, the tide turned. In 2025, justjoin.it saw over 110,000 new tech job listings, a solid 8.42% increase from the year before. Finance experienced a similar uplift, with ABSL reporting nearly 489,000 employees in business service centers, up an impressive 6.2% year-over-year.
However, the newly listed roles didn’t match those that had disappeared. In tech, demand shifted away from entry-level positions toward specialized expertise in AI, data analytics, and cloud computing. Likewise in finance, international banks moved beyond simple offshoring like basic bookkeeping, instead building advanced teams requiring regulatory knowledge, data skills, and mastery of complex compliance systems.
What skills are employers chasing in 2026? If you’re a job seeker planning your next step or a business hunting top talent, dive into this breakdown of the skills driving hiring across Poland’s two hottest sectors.
What Tech Employers in Poland Seek in 2026
The tech rebound isn’t just about volume; it’s about direction. A wave of corporate investment in AI and automation has reshaped what companies are willing to pay for. Traditional programming roles are still out there, but the sharpest growth is happening in areas connected to artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, and security.
Top Programming Languages in Demand in Poland: Python, SQL, and Java
The programming languages most sought after by employers haven’t changed dramatically, but the reasons behind their popularity have. Data from the No Fluff Jobs report shows Python in 23.1% of all listings, SQL in 22.3%, and Java in 18.6%.
What’s notable is Python’s trajectory. It’s been gaining 3–4 percentage points annually, and its current dominance reflects something bigger than web development. Python has become the go-to language for AI and machine learning work, which is exactly where budgets are expanding.
Java, meanwhile, remains essential for enterprise applications. It’s not flashy, but it runs deep through banking systems, insurance platforms, and large-scale corporate infrastructure. These are the kinds of systems that Poland’s service centers maintain daily.
Data Analytics Roles Surging in Poland’s Job Market
Here’s a shift that has caught many by surprise within the industry: data and analytics-focused positions overtook JavaScript to claim the top spot on Poland’s job market, reaching 11,364 listings in 2025.
For the past decade, JavaScript has dominated as one of the most in-demand programming languages, consistently holding top rankings in job postings, often appearing in 20-25% of listings and reflecting the longstanding emphasis on web development and frontend roles. In contrast, data and analytics roles were scarcely visible in the top 10 categories. Often, these roles were overshadowed by traditional developer specializations that accounted for over 50% of all IT ads as recently as 2021-2022.
This dramatic jump underscores a significant market evolution, driven by the increasing growth in data volumes and the urgent need for actionable insights amid tightening regulations and AI-driven transformations. Businesses have accumulated enormous volumes of information, but most don’t have enough staff to turn it into useful insights. Global data output exceeded 149 zettabytes in 2024, and that number is projected to multiply 2.6 times by 2028. Companies need someone to make sense of it all.
The fastest-growing capabilities in this space span database management (both SQL and NoSQL), real-time processing with tools such as Spark and Kafka, pipeline development, and visualization platforms including Tableau, Power BI, and Looker. Governance is also climbing the priority list as regulation tightens around how organizations store and handle data.
Why AI and Machine Learning Skills Are Essential in 2026
Poland leads the EU in AI adoption growth, with a 36% year-over-year increase in 2025, the fastest in the region, according to an AWS report. However, absolute adoption remains low at 8.4% of enterprises (per Eurostat 2025 data, among the EU’s lowest). This rapid growth from a low base is intensifying talent shortages.
Companies are struggling to find qualified AI experts quickly enough.
The squeeze has driven salaries up, with Edstellar reporting a 28% average pay premium for AI-focused roles. Defense, manufacturing, and finance drive much of the demand, but machine learning expertise spans nearly every industry.
For candidates, AI literacy is essential. Even non-AI-tagged roles now expect familiarity with model training, machine learning concepts, or collaborating with AI tools.
Why Cybersecurity Skills are Urgently Needed in Poland
Poland was one of the most cyber-attacked countries in the world in 2024, according to Check Point Research. That data point explains the intense demand for security talent, with one JustJoin.it analysis describing these professionals as invaluable.
Hiring spans the full range, from architects and analysts to engineers and security officers. But there’s a gap. A significant number of cybersecurity workers in Poland don’t deal directly with active incidents or breach response. The most severe shortage sits in hands-on disciplines such as penetration testing, where demand far outstrips supply.
Regulatory pressure is compounding the problem. Compliance frameworks including GDPR, NIS2, and DORA are raising the bar, and companies need people who understand both the technical and legal dimensions of security. It’s one of the few fields where hiring urgency is intensifying from multiple angles at once.
What Finance Employers in Poland Seek in 2026
Poland’s finance sector has evolved well beyond its origins as a low-cost destination for routine processing. Today, Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, and Gdansk are home to sophisticated shared services and Business Process Outsourcing operations run by global banks and financial institutions. The caliber of work being performed, from financial analysis to auditing and risk assessment, has risen sharply.
Yet recruitment remains a persistent challenge. Research indicates that half of all finance employers struggle to find qualified managers and specialists, with more than a third reporting fierce competition for top candidates. That scarcity is shaping everything from compensation strategies to how companies approach internal development.
Shifting Baseline Skills for Finance Jobs in Poland
Michał Kłak, Director at Michael Page, summed up the shift in an interview: “knowing Excel is now just the baseline for finance positions.” He expanded on this view explaining that employers now require proficiency across BI platforms, ERP systems, and automation tools.
That evolution explains a lot about today’s hiring landscape. Accounting and bookkeeping are still foundational, with the EU labor market diagnostics flagging them as occupations with persistent shortages across several Polish regions. But employers want more than someone who can close the books. They’re looking for professionals who can pair core accounting knowledge with visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI, or navigate complex ERP environments to streamline reporting.
Premium Regulatory Expertise in Poland’s Finance Sector 2026
As Poland’s financial operations have grown more complex, so have the regulatory expectations around them. Devire’s 2025 market analysis highlights growing recruitment activity for professionals specializing in compliance and risk. Financial planning and analysis knowledge is especially prized within shared services and banking, where teams manage reporting obligations across multiple jurisdictions.
Professionals who hold international qualifications and understand cross-border regulatory requirements are especially sought after, not only within Poland, but also across European and UK markets, according to the British Polish Chamber of Commerce. For candidates who’ve built that expertise, career mobility extends well beyond the domestic market.
High-Demand Risk Management and Financial Modeling Skills in Poland
Beyond compliance, employers are zeroing in on candidates who can build financial models and evaluate risk under volatile conditions. Edstellar identifies modeling, risk assessment, and corporate finance as top targets Polish employers are targeting. In an unpredictable economic climate, companies want analytical professionals who can adapt quickly as regulations shift or market conditions deteriorate.
The fastest-growing skills in finance reflect this blended demand. Advanced modelling, statistical analysis, data mining in financial contexts, and planning and analysis functions sit alongside visualization and even basic coding ability. It’s increasingly common for finance roles to require some familiarity with scripting or low-code platforms for data work, a requirement that would have seemed unusual just a few years ago.
Kłak’s comments to Poland Insight also reveal an interesting split. Senior accounting leaders and controllers have abundant opportunities and leverage, while specialist and director roles attract many applicants, allowing employers to be selective.
Competitive Hiring Strategies for Poland’s Tech and Finance Markets 2026
Poland’s tech and finance sectors aren’t just recovering; they’re reshaping what talent looks like. The roles gaining traction today demand a blend of technical depth and adaptability that didn’t exist five years ago.
For candidates, the signal is clear. Investing in these capabilities, whether through formal qualifications, hands-on project experience, or upskilling within your current role, puts you on the right side of a widening gap between supply and demand.
For employers, the pressure runs deeper. The professionals you need are the same ones every competitor is chasing. Projections for 2026 indicate continued wage growth of 5-6% in high-demand areas like AI and cybersecurity, with a maturing market favoring specialists over juniors. Speed matters. So does knowing where to look, how to position your offer, and what today’s top candidates care about beyond salary.
That’s where working with a recruitment partner who understands these markets makes a real difference. At Verita HR, specialists are dedicated to connecting companies across Poland with IT and finance talent.
Get in touch with Verita HR to find out how the team can help your company stay competitive in Poland’s vibrant and evolving markets.
Author: Charley Mendoza
See Also:
How to Find a Good IT Recruitment Agency in Poland?
What Are the Top 10 Most Popular Tech Roles in Poland Today?
