The new powers of the National Labour Inspectorate are beginning to have an impact on employment practices in Polish companies. Between 8 July and 13 August, the PIP received 690 complaints and applications concerning the replacement of employment contracts with civil-law contracts. Inspectors have already issued 121 written orders to confirm employment under an employmentcontract .
The number of reports is clearly on the rise. Since the start of 2026, the PIP has received 1,794 such reports, compared with 619 in the same period last year. The issue is not confined to a single sector. It affects services, retail, manufacturing, the hospitality sector, healthcare and platform work.
However, the reform does not spell the end of contracts for specific tasks or B2B contracts. These remain legal provided that the manner in which the work is carried out genuinely corresponds to a civil-law relationship. The rules for determining the existence of an employment relationship have not been changed. Instead, the PIP has been given more effective tools to enforce them.
The first few weeks have already demonstrated a preventive effect. By 6 August, employers had voluntarily converted 201 contracts even before the inspections were completed. For businesses, this means greater pressure to audit their collaboration models, particularly where a contractor works under the company’s supervision, at a specific place and time.
The change is also significant in the technology sector, where B2B contracts remain an important part of the market, particularly in the case of highly paid specialists. At the same time, companies are operating in a climate of weaker employment. In May, average employment in the business sector was 0.9 per cent lower than a year earlier.
In the short term, the reform may increase compliance and employment costs. In the longer term, it may curb the riskiest models of collaboration and prompt companies to draw a clearer distinction between full-time employment and genuinely independent B2B work.
