Mass layoffs in Silesia. Is it really that bad?

• Mass layoffs have been reported at more companies in Racibórz and the surrounding area. Following Rafako's bankruptcy, Henkel and Eko-Okna are also facing problems.
• The unemployment rate has increased slightly, but the situation is being monitored. According to local officials, the job market remains stable, and the employment office is ready to provide support to those losing their jobs.
• According to the Provincial Labor Office in Katowice, thanks to the extensive infrastructure and high demand for employees, many of those laid off will quickly find new jobs.

"Layoffs at these companies will certainly have some impact on the unemployment rate in our region, which has indeed been slightly lower since last year. Last month, we saw an increase of only 0.1 percentage points," says Grzegorz Sikorski, director of the Voivodeship Labor Office in Katowice.

Mass layoffs in Silesia. Henkel and Eko-Okna lose employees.

As a reminder, mass layoffs at Rafako continued until the end of February after the company declared bankruptcy. At that time, companies willing to take on specialists, including Eko Okna , approached the Racibórz Employment Office. Now, the company is in trouble – although it hasn't reported mass layoffs, employees hired through intermediary agencies are receiving mass layoff notices. This is primarily the case at the plant in Kędzierzyn-Koźle, 35 km from Racibórz.

The problems in this district don't end there. Henkel has reported the collective layoffs to the labor office . Nearly 160 employees will lose their jobs due to—as the company explains—the transformation of Henkel's Consumer Brands business unit and the adjustment of its production network in Europe.

Rafamet, a company struggling with the situation, also received funding from the Industrial Development Agency (ARP) along with Rafako. The ARP recapitalized the company in four tranches, totaling PLN 80 million.

Unemployment up slightly. "I'm moderately optimistic."

In an interview with PulsHR.pl, the director of the District Employment Office in Racibórz, Mirosław Ruszkiewicz, maintains that the situation in the district is not difficult.

- The unemployment rate in June 2025 increased by 0.1 percentage points. We had 3.8, and now we have 3.9, so it is still relatively low - points out Mirosław Ruszkiewicz.

The director claims that the office is in constant contact with companies that declare their intention to carry out layoffs.

"Some are asking us to mediate in negotiations between employers and employees. Hopefully, the new Rafako will also be hiring again soon. We've just announced an investment by Mieszko, which will also need new employees. It's also important to know that the employment office can help once someone has registered with us. Currently, we're doing individual registrations. We're constantly monitoring the situation. We have current funds for this, and if they prove insufficient, we'll apply to the ministry for additional funding. One ministry has already asked us if we need it," says Ruszkiewicz.

Our interlocutor emphasizes that the companies mentioned are private entities.

"The employment office can only mitigate the effects and cannot predict how the situation will develop in companies. My staff and I attended meetings with Henkel employees, informing them how to register with the employment office, what current job offers are available, and what support options they can take advantage of. Henkel has hired an outsourcing company that, on behalf of the employer, provides support to laid-off employees by providing advice on how to embark on a new career path and helping them navigate the process," he describes the situation.

Ruszkiewicz adds that the consequences for the employment office in connection with the layoffs at Henkel may not actually appear until January 2026.

"If the layoffs affect around 150 people, I think around 30-40 will register with our office. I'm moderately optimistic about our labor market," he emphasized in an interview with PulsHR.pl.

"The labor market is very receptive." The situation in Silesia

Grzegorz Sikorski, director of the Voivodeship Labor Office in Katowice, sheds a slightly different light on the matter. He isn't concerned that qualified staff will not find new employment.

"The market, however, is very receptive. If qualified employees are laid off, especially in manufacturing or services, they immediately find work at other companies, as employers continue to report a huge need for new hires. For now, these layoffs are still balancing with the needs of the labor market, but of course, we have to be careful," he says in an interview with PulsHR.pl.

The director emphasizes that it is currently crucial to create new jobs in sectors that have previously generated too few such positions. These include, above all, new technologies, AI, automation, robotics, care for the elderly, and healthcare.

" Certainly, technologies for energy production, environmental protection, and sustainable energy consumption will soon create new jobs. For now, we're in a relatively good situation, as we're the second-lowest unemployment rate in Poland. So we have some breathing room, but of course we must strive to create as many new jobs as possible, not just recreate them in sectors that are already operating in the region and are in decline, such as mining, but open up to new ones," says Grzegorz Sikorski.

This is indeed the case. In the Silesian Voivodeship, according to data from the Central Statistical Office, the unemployment rate in June was 3.7 percent, the second lowest after the Greater Poland Voivodeship (3 percent).

The total number of unemployed people registered with labor offices was 64,998, including 33,392 women and 31,606 men. It is also significant that this region had one of the highest job vacancies and professional activation rates in Poland.

Jobs are not disappearing. Silesia is in a privileged position.

When asked if there was anything specific happening in the region that had caused the job cuts at the companies mentioned, the Voivodeship Labor Office director didn't provide a direct answer. However, Sikorski emphasized that Silesia is an ideal location for investment.

" We are a voivodeship with extensive industrial infrastructure, so the job market is anchored in our area. In other voivodeships, such as those in the eastern part of Poland, this infrastructure is underdeveloped and the job market is unstable. Changing the location of production or service provision is easy, which in turn leads to job losses and job losses," explains Sikorski.

According to information contained in the Occupational Barometer, at the end of September 2024, 542,600 entities were registered in the Silesian Voivodeship, representing 10.3% of all entities registered in Poland. Most operated in the following PKD sections:

• trade and repair of motor vehicles - 116.3 thousand (0.6% decrease year on year),
• construction - 70.6 thousand (an increase of 3.5%),
• professional, scientific and technical activities - 56.0 thousand (an increase of 3.5%),
• industrial processing - 46.8 thousand (an increase of 0.5%),
• other service activities - 36.7 thousand (an increase of 5.7%).

"In the Silesian Voivodeship, at the end of 2023, the number of people employed in the national economy by place of residence amounted to 1,705.2 thousand people (including 800.3 thousand women). The poviats with the largest number of employees were Katowice - 119.8 thousand (7.0 percent of the total number of employees), followed by Częstochowa - 83.9 thousand (4.9 percent), Sosnowiec - 72.4 thousand (4.2 percent) and Gliwice - 71.3 thousand (4.2 percent)," the study reads.

The Director of the Voivodeship Labour Office also advises taking a look at the local road infrastructure - what the network and density of roads or communication looks like in the Silesian Voivodeship and what it is like in other voivodeships.

"There's virtually no other voivodeship with such a good transportation network. We have the largest economic zone in Europe, but we also have mini-zones in virtually every county town. Jobs aren't disappearing. Of course, global sectors like the automotive industry can relocate their operations outside the country, but that's not strictly up to us," he emphasizes.

"With our strong infrastructure, we are in a privileged position. Of course, we cannot simply ignore mass layoffs. We must utilize our network effectively, further streamlining and integrating it to get through this looming crisis," explains Grzegorz Sikorski.

In anticipation of the crisis. "The province's image is not favorable to us."

Sikorski also draws attention to certain dangers that depend largely on geopolitics.

"We don't know how the tariff situation will develop. It may turn out that Polish exporters will have trouble selling their goods in the United States," he tells us.

The image of the voivodeship is also important, as Sikorski claims.

" Those who don't live in Silesia have a very stereotypical view of our voivodeship, with images straight out of the 1970s. We must strive to erase this image, which will result in depopulation. Every new resident is a customer who uses services and buys goods, but they are also an employee," our source concludes.