The rapid growth in the number of employees at the institutions' headquarters means that, despite the continued reduction in the branch network, banking employment is again on the rise and is at its highest since March 2021
Data published by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) shows that at the end of last year, 146,700 people were employed across the Polish banking sector. This is another month in a row where employment in banking is on the rise. Interestingly, according to the KNF, it is the highest in almost four years, specifically since March 2021, when the sector employed 147.1 thousand people.
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This is good news for bankers, as there has long been a circulating opinion that banks are all about layoffs. However, the news is less optimistic for those who work in the stationary network. Branches and other banking outlets are steadily declining, which translates into a change in the structure of banking employment. It is increasing because banks are employing more and more people in their headquarters, but the number of employees in field offices is decreasing.
According to data from the KNF, as many as 90 400 people worked in the headquarters of banks in December - for the second month in a row, exceeding the record level of 90 000. In various banking outlets, employment fell to 55,800, i.e., the lowest level in the history of data published by the Polish supervisory authority. Additionally, more than 400 people work in branches of Polish banks abroad.
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The change in the banking employment structure is a result of several factors. Customers are doing more and more of their business online via mobile apps and web services. A growing group of mobile-only customers also manage their finances exclusively via smartphones. This is forcing the development of electronic systems and an increase in headquarters staffing, where this is being worked on. At the same time, the behavior change is leading to a reduction in branch networks and a change in the model of those that remain on the market. They are doing away with checkout windows, which are being replaced by ATMs and deposit machines.
