The first quarter is now behind us, and the latest data reveals that the IT job market situation in 2026 is gaining exceptional momentum. The industry is clearly accelerating, which translates into concrete numbers and new opportunities for both companies and specialists seeking fresh challenges. As your recruitment and outsourcing partner, we have prepared a summary of the key trends dominating the start of this year.

Market Dynamics: More Offers, Less Competition

Analyzing the recent months, it is evident that the IT job market situation in 2026 favors increased recruitment activity. The beginning of 2026 has been a time of intensive growth in demand for specialists. According to No Fluff Jobs data, 62% more advertisements were published in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. When compared to the final quarter of 2025, the growth reached 24%.

At the same time, competition for individual positions is becoming less taxing for candidates. Currently, there are an average of 22 applications per offer, whereas this index stood at 24 throughout 2025.

Highest Paid Specializations (Median of Upper Brackets):

• ERP: 33,600 PLN net (+VAT) on B2B.
• Architecture: 31,920 PLN net (+VAT) on B2B.
• Security: 30,240 PLN net (+VAT) on B2B and 25,000 PLN gross on UoP.
• Product Management: 25,000 PLN gross on UoP.

AI in Daily Work: From a Tool to a Standard

Artificial Intelligence has firmly established itself in the Polish IT sector. A significant 68% of specialists use AI tools every single day. It is worth noting that half of the employers in the sector have already introduced formal guidelines regarding the use of this technology.

What do we use AI for most often?

• Finding answers: 77% of responses.
• Writing code: 60% of responses.
• Creating documentation: 54% of responses.
• Learning new technologies: 53% of responses.

The most popular tools include ChatGPT (63%), Google Gemini (46%), and GitHub Copilot (41%). Despite its prevalence, specialists remain vigilant—the main concerns continue to be errors in code (60%) and the risk of data leaks (59%).

The Situation of Juniors: Entry Barriers and AI Opportunities

The circumstances for those at the start of their professional path remain a major challenge for the industry. In 2025, offers for juniors accounted for only 5.3% of all advertisements. The first quarter of 2026 brought only a symbolic improvement of 0.3 p.p.. This means young specialists still face a high entry threshold, which could lead to a generation gap in the sector.

An interesting exception is the AI category. Here, juniors can count on a dynamic increase in salaries—within a year, the brackets for entry-level positions in this area jumped by 80–100%. This demonstrates a massive demand for talents capable of working with new technologies from the very beginning of their careers.

IT Connect – Your Partner in the World of Modern Recruitment

At IT Connect, we understand how the current the IT job market situation in 2026 impacts your business processes. With nearly 20 years of experience, we help companies manage competency gaps through personal outsourcing and headhunting.

We are transferring our work standards, based on agility and “Smart HR,” to other sectors such as engineering, telecommunications, and banking. We believe that in the era of automation, it is the “human face” of business and caring for employee wellbeing that builds a true competitive advantage.

Contact us to find out how we can work together to ensure the growth of your organization.

Key Market Data Q1 2026 – Summary:

• Growth in IT offers: +62% year-on-year.
• Average applications per offer: 22.
• Junior offer share: 5.6%.
• Daily AI use in IT: 68%.
• Top B2B Pay: ERP (33.6k PLN), Architecture (31.9k PLN).
• Top UoP Pay: Security, Product Management (25k PLN).

Sources:

• Newsletter No Fluff Jobs: Update z rynku IT: podsumowanie Q1.
• Report: AI na rynku pracy IT 2026 (No Fluff Jobs & Link Group).