On 4 September this year, we will start publishing new data on wages in the national economy, in particular expected by data recipients the median monthly gross wage and salary in the national economy.

Presently, in the official statistics system, the basic source of information on wages and salaries is the Survey on Wages and Salaries in the National Economy.

This survey enables a current assessment of the situation on the labour market and its results are a basic source of information on the development of average monthly wages and salaries in the national economy in selected breakdowns down to the powiat level. The main data sources for this survey are reports prepared by national economy entities.

On the basis of these data, it is not possible to present positional measures of wages and salaries (including the median) and to depict the distribution of wages and salaries in aggregations relating to demographic and social characteristics of employees, e.g. sex and age. They also do not allow the presentation of wage and salary measures at low levels of aggregation.

In order to meet the needs of the recipients and provide the additional statistical information expected, in particular the median monthly wage and salary, a methodology for estimating wages and salaries based on administrative sources has been developed. This action is in line with the worldwide trend of complementing traditional data sources with administrative sources. In addition, the need to provide information on median wages and salaries was included in the Directive (EU) 2022/2041 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on adequate minimum wages in the European Union.

The new Survey on the Distribution of Wages and Salaries in the National Economy is prepared on the basis of administrative sources and provides users with the availability of wage and salary indicators and information on employees receiving wages and salaries and entities paying wages and salaries. 

In addition to the data on wages and salaries published so far, the new survey will provide monthly data on the average monthly gross wage and salary in the national economy and the median monthly gross wage and salary in the national economy in the month under review in the following aggregations:

• in total and by: sex, age, PKD/NACE section, entity size;
• for regions and voivodships by place of residence and place of the entity's seat, in total and by sex and economic sector;
• for powiats by place of residence and place of the entity’s seat, in total and by sex;
• for gminas by place of residence and place of the entity’s seat, in total.

Furthermore, data on deciles of gross wages and salaries in the national economy in total and by sex will be published monthly.

The new survey will be conducted on a monthly basis and the results will be published approximately five months after the end of the month surveyed. The results statistical information will be made available in the form of news releases and tables.

More information can be found in the Methodological report Distribution of wages and salaries in the national economy.