‘This is dramatic for thousands of Polish families’ – Layoffs triple in 2025, Poland’s former PM says the worst is yet to come

Polish MEP Beata Szydło had some harsh words for the state of the Polish economy in the wake of fresh data on layoffs, manufacturing, and retail sales.

“According to media reports, in the first two months of 2025 alone, companies reported layoffs involving a total of 14,800 employees. This is almost three times as many as in this period a year earlier. What’s more, of this group, 7,700 people have already lost their jobs,” she posted on X. 

“This is a drama for thousands of Polish families, and what’s worse – it’s still only the beginning. It’s only going to get worse. Under Tusk, the Polish economy is reeling, industry is collapsing. The prosperity that Poles have worked for over the years is disappearing,” the former prime minister added. 

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According to data published on Tuesday, passenger car production last month amounted to 7,700 units in February, which is 73.8 percent less than last year. In the January-February period of this year, 13,800 thousand cars were produced, a drop of 76.6 percent, reports Do Rzeczy.

Statistics Poland (GUS) also reported that the production of trucks (including road tractors for pulling semi-trailers) amounted to 28,574 units last month, which means a decrease of 11.4 percent year-over-year. Between January and February 2025, a decrease of 23.6 percent year-over-year was recorded, to 49,962 units.

The production of public transport vehicles fell last month by 38.3 percent year-over-year, amounting to 391 units. In the January-February period of this year, a decrease of 30.3 percent year-over-year was recorded, to 857 units, according to GUS.

Inflation continues to hit hard in Poland

Retail sales in February fell by 0.5 percent year-over-year, while on a monthly basis, a decrease of 6 percent was recorded. Economists had expected retail sales to grow at constant prices by 3.2 percent year-over-year.

For the Jan-Feb period, sales increased 2.2 percent compared to 4.6 percent in 2024. 

Eliminating the impact of seasonal factors, retail sales at constant prices in February 2025 were 3.2 percent lower than in January 2025. Retail sales at current prices in February were 0.6 percent higher than a year ago and fell by 6 percent month-over-month.