Employee benefits market in Poland

Last year, the value of employers’ investments in non-wage benefits in Poland, which help to attract and retain employees, increased to PLN 12 bln, almost by 1 bln year to year. On average, nine out of ten employees in Poland receive non-wage benefits from employers. The growing competition for job candidates means that the number of companies that invest in benefits, as well as the average value of benefits for one employee, is growing.

What types of benefits?

Non-wage benefits are an important element influencing the employee’s decision to take up a job in a given company, as well as a factor building loyalty and motivation for everyday work as well as a positive attitude towards the employer. In Poland, companies most often finance a basic healthcare package, a sport card entitling to unlimited gym entries or cafeteria platforms offering vouchers as well as gift and discount cards for stationary and online stores of well-known global and local brands.

Average benefit value

The development of the benefits market is influenced by the growing average value of expenses per employee, which reached almost PLN 2K (EUR 440) last year. The average was increased by investments of large companies, which account for almost two-thirds of the domestic benefits market. The value of the entire investment portfolio in this area in Poland reached PLN 12 billion in 2019.

Benefits addressers

Employers offer benefits to more and more employees groups’ – not only specialists and managers, but also physical workers. Benefits, including medical care, group insurance, sports card or vouchers to the cinema or shops (cafeteria programs) are so common that for some candidates they are an obvious element of remuneration. Willing to impress candidates, employers are increasingly reaching for less-typical benefits, such as vouchers for legal advisory or personal development.

In the current situation on the labor market, benefits are a justified business investment that helps attract and retain employees. Expenditure on non-wage benefits is growing, among others because their scope is expanding – employers are already investing not only in medical care and gym vouchers, but they are constantly offering new extras such as vouchers and gift cards, thus providing employees with the freedom to choose and match the offer with their lifestyle, habits and tastes.

The increase of the benefits budget is also generated by enlarging the scope of its recipients. Non-wage benefits appear in industries and professional groups in which they were not popular until recently – e.g. in supermarkets chains – and are reaching out to ever lower positions. In the coming years, the benefits market will continue to grow and companies will individualize their offer to better adapt it to the needs of employees.

Amilon in Poland

Amilon has a long-term strategy of not only becoming part of the above trends, but to start complementing or even defining them in the areas where we feel to have a competitive advantage. Such sphere is our offer and its digitalization, thus accelerating the entire process of generating and delivering vouchers, but also the role of a reliable business expert and technology provider for partners in the area of ​​discount cards and vouchers.

Amilon has already started cooperation with the first partners on the Polish market. Currently, the portfolio offered locally includes vouchers and cards of brands such as Amazon, Zalando, Global Hotel Card, MediaMarkt, Empik, Mango, IKEA (here we have exclusive rights in Poland), and we are already finalizing talks with H&M, Decathlon and Flixbus and delicious.pl. We will develop our portfolio in accordance with the market demand for brands sought by our clients.

– Article by Karol Ziółkowski, Business Development Manager Poland, for Amilon Warsaw