Half of Poland's Trading Firms Now Use AI, Industry Lags Behind

The latest edition of the 2026 Labor Market Barometer, prepared by Gi Group Holding based on research by the SW Research agency, shows that automation and artificial intelligence have stopped being an experimental add-on for Polish companies. More than four in ten businesses say they already use these technologies, and more are planning to roll them out soon.

Who is adopting fastest

The Barometer data reveal a clear hierarchy among industries. Trading companies lead the pack, with 15.4 percent of firms already using automation or AI on a large scale, followed closely by services at 14 percent. Transport and logistics stand at 13.6 percent, the public sector at 10.9 percent, while industry trails with just 9.1 percent of companies using AI at scale.

This ranking surprises some labor market analysts, since industry has long been seen as the sector most open to production automation and robotics. The study's authors attribute this to the different nature of these rollouts: in trade and services, AI is mainly applied to customer service processes, sales data analysis and communication, areas where deploying new software is faster and cheaper than overhauling a factory production line.

What employees are doing

The Barometer also captures the perspective of employees themselves. More than 23 percent say they use AI or automation tools in their daily duties. Among them, 52 percent say the technology speeds up or eases task completion, and nearly a quarter point to reduced repetitive work as the main benefit.

Companies that have already adopted AI most often cite three types of benefits: streamlining and speeding up internal processes, cutting operating costs, and changes to job duties and team organization. 42.3 percent of companies using AI report improved efficiency, 32.6 percent report cost reductions, and 27 percent report organizational changes.

Companies still waiting

Still, 35 percent of Polish companies use neither automation nor AI and have no plans to adopt either. This group will likely shrink in future editions of the survey, given how fast customer expectations are rising and how strong competitive pressure is in sectors such as retail and financial services. The Barometer's authors note that lagging behind on adoption could translate into real market share losses within a few years, especially in low-margin sectors.

An additional 22.5 percent of companies say they plan to roll out automation or AI soon, meaning that within the coming quarters the share of businesses using these technologies could exceed two-thirds of the market. This pace is bringing Poland closer to levels seen in more developed Western European economies, though it still lags noticeably in large-scale industrial deployments.

What it means for the labor market

The Barometer's findings feed into a broader debate about AI's impact on employment in Poland, fueled by earlier analyses showing that millions of workers hold jobs potentially at risk from automation. Yet the rising share of employees using AI daily suggests that, for now, the process looks more like a complement to existing skills than a replacement for jobs, at least in the trade and services sectors leading the adoption curve.

For managers and HR departments, the Barometer's results carry a clear message: companies in sectors with the lowest adoption rates, industry chief among them, still have time to prepare an AI strategy before competitive pressure forces rushed, chaotic investments. The study's authors recommend pairing AI rollouts with employee training, since it is a lack of skills, not the cost of the technology, that most often limits how fully companies can tap AI's potential.

Sources: Polish companies are speeding up on AI. Trade and services are outpacing the rest of the market (pulshr.pl)