How to Open an Employment Agency in Poland

Labor migration to the European Union, particularly to Poland, does not cease. Employers find it advantageous to hire foreigners due to lower wages and a shortage of specialists. Foreigners benefit from working abroad because of the relatively higher wages compared to their home countries and the opportunity to realize themselves in another country.

Due to this, the demand for an employment agency does not decrease. So, how to open an employment agency in Poland and not miss important steps?

Opportunities for Employment Agencies in Poland

Before you open an employment agency in Poland, learn about the opportunities in this industry. Today, a staffing agency can operate on two principles:

1. One-time recruitment. The owner receives a fixed payment once for the employees for the period they are supposed to work. This allows for remote work, risks and responsibilities are minimal, but monthly incomes are small due to the costs associated with the employee's stay and visa issues.
2. Employment based on leasing. The employees are employed by you, and the profit comes throughout the work period. Here, costs, risks, and responsibilities are higher, but the potential profit is also greater.

Clients themselves will look for a staffing agency based on occupational safety and health, the use of employment contracts, conflict prevention, etc. Therefore, opening an employment agency in Poland must be adjusted to the current needs and requests of potential workers.

How to Open a Business: Key Steps

The Polish government is friendly to foreign entrepreneurs. However, there are several requirements for a non-resident:

• they must not have any criminal records (this also applies to co-founders and employees);
• they must not have debts for unpaid taxes and insurance premiums;
• the start-up capital is at least 5,000 PLN;
• they must have rented or purchased premises;
• the office must have a place for comfortable client reception;
• face-to-face interviews with clients are conducted by specialists.

If there are no issues with the non-resident, the further registration of the employment agency and business in Poland will not have serious problems.

Company Registration

Doing business in the field of employment in Poland is possible based on Article 1 of Chapter 18 of the Act "On Employment Promotion and Labor Market Institutions." To open a staffing agency, a license is required. According to it, the following services can be provided:

• act as an intermediary in providing work for foreigners;
• consult foreigners on employment issues;
• determine qualifications and career counseling;
• provide temporary work.

During registration, it is necessary to decide on the organizational form. Most often, a limited liability company (spółka z o.o.) is chosen for a staffing agency, which is the Polish equivalent of a Ukrainian LLC.

The following documents are attached to the registration application:

• registration data;
• information about the availability of an office;
• tax identifier;
• applicant's contact details;
• documents confirming the applicant's identity (passport, residence card, Pole's card, etc.).

Usually, the marshal is given seven days to review the documents and provide a response. If the applicant does not receive a response within two weeks, they can start their activities without a license. If the marshal has no questions or comments, an entry is made in the register and a certificate is issued.

Finances and Accounting

After registration, the company must open a bank account. Any Polish institution can be chosen. Consider the terms of cooperation with the bank.

It is also necessary to hire an accountant. This can be a separate employee or an outsourcing contract with an accounting firm. Often the second option is chosen, as it does not involve paying insurance contributions for an additional employee.

Both these steps – opening a bank account and hiring an accountant – must be reported to the tax office. Form NIP-2 is used for this.

Hiring Employees and Their Registration

Polish legislation requires that specialists work in a staffing agency. Therefore, when hiring employees, it is necessary to pay attention to their experience, hard and soft skills.

The complexity of employment lies in the fact that not all employers want to spend money on finding experienced employees. More often they prefer in-house HR staff and advertising, even though it may be more expensive than outsourcing.

Therefore, the task of your staffing agency is to attract employers in any way possible. This is often done through low service costs. As you gain experience and expand your client base, you can increase service fees to market value.

Opening a Business Yourself VS Hiring a Lawyer

To open a staffing agency, it is necessary to consider dozens, if not hundreds, of small details. You can register the business yourself and follow clearly defined instructions. Or you can entrust this task to lawyers.

The advantage of the first method is cost savings. The advantage of the second is risk minimization. Self-registration can lead to accidentally missing a small detail that results in license cancellation. Legal assistance is needed to obtain a definitively positive result. Specialists for this can be found at consultant.net.pl.

An employment agency is an important element in the labor market. Job seekers and employers actively use them. They complement the activities of state employment services and provide foreigners with the opportunity to work legally abroad. However, be careful when registering a business in Poland to avoid violating the country's laws.