Katowice City Attractiveness and Office Market Report
City Attractiveness
- Economic Indicators: Katowice has a GDP growth rate of 18.0%, an average salary of PLN 11,207.23, and a GDP per capita of PLN 85,131. The unemployment rate is 1.2% (as of June 2025).
- Investment Attractiveness: Ranked 9th in the "Top 10 Large European Cities of the Future 2025," 2nd in "Business-Friendly Cities of Forbes," and 1st in "Polish Cities of the Future 2050" (school category). The city offers incentives like the Investors Assistance Department and Katowice Special Economic Zone with income tax exemptions.
- Quality of Life: Ranked 4th in "Best city to live" (Business Insider) and 2nd in "Europolis" (Schuman Foundation). The city has 206.35 km of cycling infrastructure, 50% green areas, and a well-developed airport with 3.0 million passengers (H1 2025).
Office Market
- Market Size: As of June 2025, the office stock is 761,000 sq m, making Katowice the fourth largest regional city in Poland. Nearly 34,000 sq m is under construction, with completion expected by the end of 2025.
- Market Performance: H1 2025 saw 23,000 sq m of take-up, with new leases dominating (71%), followed by renegotiations (24%) and expansions (5%). The vacancy rate increased to 22.7%, the highest in Poland, due to weakened demand in Q2 2025.
- Rental Rates: Asking rents remained stable at EUR 10.00 to 14.50/sq m/month, with service charges ranging between PLN 14.00 and 26.00/sq m/month.
HR Trends
- Pay Transparency: Starting December 2025, Polish companies must disclose salary ranges in job advertisements and report on gender pay gaps. However, implementation challenges and ambiguities in the directive may limit its impact.
- Labor Market Challenges: Poland faces a demographic decline, with the workforce expected to decrease by 2.1 million by 2035. Attracting new talent and activating women in the labor market are becoming essential due to labor shortages in key specializations.
- Gender Pay Gap: Despite the real estate sector having a high percentage of female agents (53%), broader labor market disparities remain significant, with women's employment rate 15 percentage points lower than men's and persistent gender pay gaps.
Investment Projects: Katowice is implementing various projects, including the Eco City Katowice complex, Cross Office A building, and infrastructure developments like the Jerzy Kukuczka Himalayan Centre and integrated transfer hubs.
