Czechia’s average hourly employer cost was only slightly above Poland’s in 2025, while the gap was larger in manufacturing and information and communication. A Polish company planning Czech sales needs a budget for the actual role and delivery model, rather than a national wage comparison alone.
A Polish manufacturer considering a Czech service technician faces a different calculation from a software company delivering remotely from Poland. Both need to understand local labour costs. Neither can price the decision from an average salary headline alone.
Eurostat provides two useful comparisons: annual full-time adjusted salaries and hourly labour costs. The measures answer different questions, cover different reference years and should remain separate. Here we use the latest observations available in the selected datasets when checked on 1 November 2026: salaries for 2024 and hourly labour costs for 2025.
The figures give a starting point for planning. Recruitment quotations, regional availability and the responsibilities of the proposed role determine the working budget.
Annual salaries: a comparable starting point
Eurostat’s full-time adjusted salary indicator combines national accounts and Labour Force Survey data and adjusts part-time work to a full-time equivalent. It provides a common annual measure; it is not take-home pay, a median salary or a quotation for a particular occupation. Eurostat: salary methodology.
| Average annual full-time adjusted salary | Poland | Czechia | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | EUR 18,226 | EUR 23,609 | EUR 37,840 |
| 2024 | EUR 21,246 | EUR 23,998 | EUR 39,808 |
Source: Eurostat nama_10_fte, annual data, unit EUR. Figures retrieved on 1 November 2026. These are annual salary indicators, not total employer costs.
The Czech figure for 2024 was approximately 13.0% above the Polish figure. This does not mean every Czech employee costs 13% more to employ, or that a Polish provider should price its services 13% below a Czech competitor.
A national average combines many occupations and industries. It also converts remuneration into euros, which matters when the underlying salaries are paid in zloty or Czech koruna. A change in the euro figure is not a measure of real wage growth or purchasing power on its own. Source dataset: Eurostat nama_10_fte.
Employer costs: the gap is smaller in the 2025 headline
Hourly labour costs include wages and salaries together with non-wage employer costs. Eurostat’s headline estimates cover enterprises with at least ten employees in industry, construction and services, excluding public administration and several activities outside that scope. These are costs per hour worked, rather than contractual hourly wages. Eurostat: hourly labour costs and coverage.
| Hourly labour-cost measure, 2025 | Poland | Czechia | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total employer cost | EUR 19.1 | EUR 19.8 | EUR 34.9 |
| Wages and salaries component | EUR 15.6 | EUR 14.9 | EUR 26.2 |
Source: Eurostat lc_lci_lev; NACE B–S excluding O; total cost D1_D4_MD5 and wage component D11; unit EUR. Estimates checked on 1 November 2026.
On this measure, the Czech total was approximately 3.7% above the Polish total. The wage component was higher in Poland, even though total employer cost was higher in Czechia.
That distinction matters. A comparison of gross remuneration and a comparison of the employer’s total expense can point in different directions. The table does not establish the statutory contribution rate for a particular worker; it describes observed aggregate cost components.
It also does not contradict the annual salary table. The reference year, population, adjustment and denominator differ. The annual figure cannot be converted into the hourly figure simply by dividing it by an assumed working year. Source dataset: Eurostat lc_lci_lev.
The sector matters more than the headline
For a Polish supplier, a sector comparison is often more useful than the whole-economy average:
| Total employer cost per hour, 2025 | Poland | Czechia | Czech cost above Poland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing — C | EUR 17.1 | EUR 20.2 | 18.1% |
| Transportation and storage — H | EUR 17.9 | EUR 18.6 | 3.9% |
| Information and communication — J | EUR 29.3 | EUR 34.9 | 19.1% |
Source: Eurostat lc_lci_lev, total labour cost, annual 2025, EUR. Percentages calculated from the published rounded hourly values. Section J is broader than software development; section H includes more than road freight.
A software company should therefore avoid using the national EUR 19.1 figure as its assumed Polish development cost. An industrial supplier should distinguish a production role from a field-service role involving travel and responsibility for equipment at the customer’s site.
The sector gaps can justify a closer review of cross-border delivery. They do not establish the price a Czech buyer will accept or the saving available from a specific team. Skills, utilisation and the amount of work delivered remain part of the calculation.
Three operating models require different budgets
Deliver from Poland
A Polish team can remain responsible for production or development while selling to Czech customers. The budget then needs room for Czech-language sales materials, customer communication, travel, delivery and after-sales arrangements.
For example, a manufacturer may keep assembly in Poland but need someone to explain installation requirements and coordinate a service visit in Czechia. That expense belongs in the customer offer even if no Czech employee is hired.
Add Czech customer support or service
A local commercial or technical role can make sense when customers need fast responses, site visits or a consistent contact. The role should have a defined purpose: qualifying enquiries, coordinating installations, handling service or managing partners.
Estimate its full annual cost, the volume of work it can handle and the activities it will still require from the Polish team. A local contact without authority, technical information or a clear escalation route can create another handover instead of solving one.
Build a Czech team or establishment
This requires a broader review of staffing, management and administration. Salary is one line in that review. The appropriate employment, payroll, tax and establishment arrangements need qualified local advice for the actual structure.
Commercial validation can begin before that full commitment. Customer conversations and a limited delivery test can show whether a local team is needed and which responsibilities it should take on.
Turn the comparison into a working budget
| Budget item | Evidence to obtain |
|---|---|
| Remuneration for the proposed role | Current quotations for the location, experience and language requirements |
| Employer and payroll expense | A calculation for the selected employment arrangement |
| Productive capacity | Expected hours on customer work after administration, training and other commitments |
| Local delivery | Travel, installation, spare parts, support and response requirements |
| Customer acquisition | Czech materials, partner development and time spent qualifying enquiries |
| Currency exposure | The currencies of salaries, supplier costs and customer invoices |
Consider a technician who supports several Czech customers. The useful comparison is the cost of maintaining the required service coverage. It includes travel from Poland, repeat visits and coordination, as well as the alternative cost of local capacity. A lower salary does not settle that decision.
For an IT provider, compare the completed delivery package: discovery, implementation, integration, customer training and support. A higher hourly rate can still lead to a lower total if the project requires fewer hours or fewer corrections. That must be demonstrated on the proposed work.
Questions Polish companies often ask
Are Czech salaries always higher than Polish salaries?
No. The 2024 full-time adjusted annual average is higher in Czechia in the selected Eurostat series, but individual occupations and regions can differ. The separate 2025 hourly-cost series also shows why the wage component and total employer cost must be distinguished.
Can we use these figures to quote a Czech customer?
Use them to frame the investigation. Build the quotation from the actual delivery cost, required service, commercial terms and acceptable margin. A national average does not describe your own team or the customer’s requirements.
Does selling into Czechia require hiring a Czech employee?
The appropriate delivery model depends on the activity and customer requirements. Start by defining which tasks need local presence, then assess the employment and establishment implications with qualified specialists.
The main conclusion
Keep annual salary, hourly employer cost and the price of a finished service separate. For Polish companies entering Czechia, the most useful next step is a role-specific budget tied to one customer segment and a clear delivery model.
How Kodo can help
Kodo helps Polish manufacturers, technology providers and service companies prepare the commercial and operational side of entering Czechia. We support early market validation, partner mapping, local positioning, English and Czech communication, web content and coordination of the first implementation steps.
For legal, tax, regulatory, certification and investment-incentive matters, companies should work with qualified specialists and the responsible authorities.
Related reading
- Poland and Czechia: business numbers and market entry
- Hiring in Czechia in 2026: what foreign employers need to set up first
- Find business partners in the Czech Republic
Sources
- Eurostat: average full-time adjusted salary per employee, nama_10_fte — annual 2023–2024, PL, CZ and EU27_2020, EUR.
- Eurostat: annual salary methodology and 2024 release — the full-time adjustment and underlying statistical sources.
- Eurostat: labour cost levels, lc_lci_lev — annual 2025; total cost and wage component; activities B–S excluding O, C, H and J; EUR.
- Eurostat: hourly labour costs — coverage, estimation and currency conversion.
Data checked on 1 November 2026 through Firecrawl Alexandria against Eurostat’s datasets and explanatory material. Statistics are subject to revision. This article provides general market-entry information, not legal, tax, payroll or investment advice. Companies should verify the costs and requirements of their own operating model.