Facing a historic low in birth rates, Poland is considering important labor reforms aimed at supporting working parents. A citizen petition submitted to the Sejm proposes measures including a reduced workweek and additional paid leave, funded by the Social Insurance Fund, in an effort to address the country’s ongoing demographic challenges [[1]]. The proposals come as Poland’s Total Fertility Rate continues to fall, reaching 1.04 in 2025 [[2]], well below the 2.1 rate needed for generational replacement.
A citizen petition calling for expanded labor rights for pregnant women and parents of children up to 13 years old has been submitted to the Polish Parliament. Proposals include a seven-hour workday and an additional three days of paid leave per child, funded by the Social Insurance Fund (ZUS) rather than employers, as potential measures to address the country’s historically low birth rate.
Poland Considers Labor Reforms to Address Record-Low Birth Rate
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New data from Birth Gauge, which tracks global fertility rates, indicates a decline in births in Poland during the first half of 2025. The number of births fell by approximately 11,000 compared to the same period in 2024. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) – representing the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime – was estimated at 1.04 for Poland in the current year, down from 1.11 in 2024, 1.16 in 2023, and 1.45 in 2020.1 This ongoing decrease has prompted calls for policy changes.
The Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported approximately 115,500 live births in the first half of 2025, more than 10,000 fewer than the previous year.2
The petition (nr BKSP-155-X-626/25), submitted to the Sejm on July 23, 2025, cites the country’s demographic situation as the primary driver for proposals to enhance labor rights for pregnant women and parents. The proposals aim to address factors contributing to the declining birth rate and bolster workforce participation.
“Fertility in Poland has fallen to a record low,” the petition states. “According to the Central Statistical Office, the fertility rate in 2024 was only 1.099, meaning that on average, a woman of childbearing age (15-49 years) gave birth to slightly more than one child. This is the lowest result in the history of the Third Polish Republic and one of the worst in the European Union. Meanwhile, a rate of 2.1 is necessary to ensure generational replacement (without migration).”
- Poor housing conditions among young adults (“According to data from BGK and the Batore Foundation, as many as 32% of young adults cite poor housing conditions as one of the main obstacles to having a child”),
- a lack of adequate prenatal care and regulations regarding termination of pregnancy (“According to a 2023 OKO.press poll, more than half of women of childbearing age are concerned about health complications related to pregnancy, childbirth or a child’s illness”), and
- concerns among women related to employment and professional life (“GUS and CBOS research shows that 22% of women do not decide to have a child because they fear they will not be able to balance work and childcare. An additional 13% of respondents express fear of losing their job during pregnancy or maternity leave. According to the aforementioned BGK research and Batore Foundation reports, 31% of young adults state that their professional situation is too unstable to think about starting a family.”).
In response to these concerns regarding the balance between work and family life, and employment stability during and after pregnancy, the authors of the July 23, 2025 petition propose amendments to the Labor Code that would provide “professional facilities” for parents, as well as additional protection for pregnant women and those in the perinatal period. They argue that the state must bear the cost of these measures to achieve a birth rate sufficient for generational replacement.
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Proposed 7-Hour Workday for Parents of Children Under 13
One of the proposals outlined in the petition is the addition of paragraph 1a to Article 129 of the Labor Code, stating: “The working time of parents of children under the age of 13 may not exceed 7 hours per day and an average of 35 hours per week in a five-day work week within a reference period not exceeding 4 months, with the exception of Articles 135-138, 143 and 144.”
This change would not alter the number of working days per week, but would reduce the number of working hours per day by one. The proposed changes would not apply to:
- equivalent working time systems (including those used in work involving the supervision of equipment or related to partial on-call duty, and for employees employed in property guarding or personal protection, as well as employees of in-house fire departments and in-house rescue services),
- working time systems used in continuous operations,
- reduced working week systems, and
- weekend working systems.
Another proposal is the addition of paragraph 1a to Article 154 of the Labor Code, stating: “Each parent or guardian of a child under the age of 13 is entitled to an additional 3 days of annual leave for each child, but no more than 9 days per year.” Paragraph 1b would further state: “The costs of the leave, as referred to in paragraph 1a, shall be reimbursed to employers from the Social Insurance Fund.” The Minister responsible for labor affairs would issue regulations specifying the amount of reimbursement and the details of the application process.
The aim of this proposal is to facilitate the work-life balance for parents of children under 13 by providing additional paid leave, funded by the Social Insurance Fund. The exact amount of the reimbursement would be determined by the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
Additional Proposed Labor Rights for Parents and Pregnant Workers
In addition to the proposed reductions in working hours and increases in paid leave, the petition’s authors also request:
- an expansion of the open catalog of prohibited discrimination under Article 113 of the Labor Code, explicitly stating that any discrimination in employment, direct or indirect, is inadmissible based on having children,
- an extension of the protection period for pregnant women and those on maternity leave, during which employers are generally prohibited from terminating employment or preparing for such termination, by an additional three months – to three months after the end of maternity leave (amendment to Article 177 paragraph 1 of the Labor Code),
- an extension of the period for which fixed-term or probationary contracts exceeding one month are extended if they would expire during the third month of pregnancy – also to three months after the end of maternity leave (amendment to Article 177 paragraph 3 of the Labor Code), and
- the introduction of a system to support the creation and operation of company-run nurseries and kindergartens, to facilitate the professional activation of parents of young children and the reconciliation of work and family life.
The full text of the petition is available below:
Status of Petition Review in the Polish Parliament
The petition (nr BKSP-155-X-626/25) outlining the proposed labor rights for pregnant women and parents of young children was submitted to the Sejm on July 23, and referred to the Sejm Committee on Petitions on August 5. The deadline for its review was extended on October 23. As of today, a date for a committee meeting to discuss the petition has not yet been set, and the Sejm’s Bureau of Expert Analysis and Regulatory Impact Assessment has not yet issued a legal opinion on the proposals.
1 Birth Gauge, Data on Births and the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) 2025, August 2, 2025.
2 GUS, Demographic Situation in Poland, July 23, 2025.
Legal basis:
Act of June 26, 1974, Labor Code (consolidated text of June 2025, Journal of Laws, item 277)
