According to the “Business Services Sector in Poland 2024” report by ABSL, diversity is a part of the business strategy of 98.8 percent of the surveyed companies. In addition to the classic aspects of diversity strategy, companies in the business services sector also include multigenerational workforce (70.1 percent) or neurodiversity (45.3 percent) in their policies.

Four-generation teams

In response to Poland's challenging demographics, leaders in the modern business services sector are increasingly betting on employees in the 35+ age group. An additional advantage of older employees is experience, which dovetails with the growing specialization of services provided in Polish centers. According to ABSL's report “Business Services Sector in Poland 2024,” the share of this age group reached 43.1 percent of total employment in the sector (up 4.8 p.p. y/y).

Agnieszka Orlowska, ABSL's vice president for ESG notes, Business services centers’ teams now consist of four generations, and managers are increasingly focused on fully realizing the potential of intergenerational exchange of skills and values. As ABSL, we promote mentoring and reverse-mentoring programs that benefit all employees in the sector – from top management to junior positions. Daily work in diverse teams brings with it opportunities for development unparalleled in homogeneous environments. We are constantly creating solutions and navigating sector leaders to seize this opportunity.

Women at the center

However, the potential resulting from the multigenerational nature of the modern business services sector's workforce is not the only element contributing to its diversity. Women currently account for 58.1 percent of total employment in business service centers in Poland, while making up almost half of those in lower management positions (49.2 percent) and exceeding the national average of 43.9 percent of senior management employment. The wage gap in the sector in Poland currently stands at 3.2 percent – a result that is better than the Polish economy as a whole, which remains at the forefront of wage equality in Europe. The impact of upcoming ESG regulations and the degree to which companies in the sector are prepared for their implementation should further equalize both pay and representation at the top levels of company boards.

Multinational sector

According to ABSL estimates, the business services sector in Poland employs 69,400 foreigners (15.2 percent of total employment), and the share of centers employing foreigners is 95.7 percent. Multiculturalism is a characteristic feature of the modern business services sector in Poland. The sector already relies on a diverse workforce, but ABSL analysts predict a further increase in the share of foreigners in employment, due to Poland's unfavorable demographic situation. Employees of Polish business service centers come from more than 60 countries and speak nearly 40 languages. Ukraine, India and Belarus remain the most common countries of origin.

Diversity and equality

From Randstad's research in Poland, 4 out of 10 companies say they are implementing equality initiatives for different groups of employees. The business services sector leads the way in these initiatives (53 percent), thus meeting market expectations and opening up to talent. Indeed, the implementation of equality principles in companies directly translates into employees' hiring decision: 38 percent of respondents in Poland and globally would not accept a job if they did not agree with the views of the company's managers in this regard, reports Magdalena Blaszczyk-Moryń, Director, Professional Talent Solutions, Randstad.

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The ABSL report was produced in cooperation with Colliers, Mercer, Randstad Poland and Randstad Enterprise and is available for download here.