Pilotage of reduced working time 2025. Over 150 applications in the first week of recruitment

Piloting reduced working time with maintenance of wages is attracted by employers. In the first week of recruitment, conducted by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, 150 complete applications were submitted and another 694 are being prepared.

Companies want to test shorter working time

Recruitment for the program runs until 15 September 2025. Ms Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Minister for Family, Labour and Social Policystresses that data shows large interest of entrepreneurs in the fresh solution. “These figures show that there are employers in Poland who want to take advantage of this unique chance to shorten working time while maintaining pay,” she notes.

The programme is aimed at micro, small, average and large enterprises and public institutions. This will enable you to see how different short-time models function under different organisational conditions.

Recruitment and backing rules

The selection process is open – all projects will be evaluated according to the same criteria, regardless of the order in which the applications are submitted.

The piloting budget shall be PLN 50 million for the years 2025-2027. In 2025 PLN 10 million was allocated to the programme. The maximum value of support for 1 task is PLN 1 million and the cost per worker may not exceed PLN 20 thousand.

The Labour Fund may be utilized for organisational and technological changes, improvement of processes in companies, training of employees and backing of wages during the programme.

Different models of shorter working time

The notified projects must cover at least half of the employees of the organisation concerned, while ensuring that wages are maintained and employment stability. The Ministry does not impose 1 model – employers can test:

• a four-day working week,
• shorter days,
• longer holidays,
• flexible starting hours.

Piloting schedule

The programme shall be implemented in 3 stages:

• Preparation – until the end of 2025,
• Test – throughout 2026,
• Summary – until May 2027.

The list of qualified projects will be published by 15 October 2025. Pilot regulations and application form are available on the website of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

Source: PAP MediaRoom