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Country comparison

Philippines or Poland: which costs the employer more

Poland costs the employer more: 20.5% on top of the salary, against 14.6% in the Philippines.

Each country uses its own currency, so we compare the percentage. We publish no exchange rate and convert nothing.

Employer cost on a mid-level salary in each country's own currency. The percentage is what the employer adds to the gross salary.
PhilippinesPoland
Salary used₱1,200,000180,000 zł
Statutory contributions₱74,76136,864 zł
Mandatory extra pay1 months0 months
Total employer cost₱1,374,761216,864 zł
Added on top of the salary14.6%20.5%
Statutory paid leave5 days20 days
Public holidays1213
Minimum employer notice4 weeks2 weeks

Where the difference actually comes from

Philippines: Every one of the four employer charges is capped, and the caps are low: the SSS monthly salary credit tops out at 35,000 pesos and Pag-IBIG at 10,000 pesos a month. Above those levels the marginal statutory cost is zero, so the employer burden on a senior salary is very small in percentage terms.

Poland: Pension and disability contributions stop once the cumulative annual base reaches thirty times the projected average wage, 282,600 zloty for 2026. The Labor Fund, accident insurance and the Guaranteed Benefits Fund are uncapped, which is why the marginal rate above the ceiling is 4.22% rather than zero.

The formula behind both columns

total employer cost = gross salary + sum over each statutory contribution of rate x max(0, min(salary, ceiling) - band floor) (zero if the contribution applies only below a wage the salary exceeds) + gross salary x (mandatory extra months / 12) + gross salary x mandatory severance accrual rate

Ceilings are the reason this ordering can reverse at a higher salary. Run both countries through the calculator at the salary you actually intend to pay before you treat either number as settled.

Related

Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the providers named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.

Page last updated 2026-08-30. Sources: statutory bodies only, listed per figure. Rates last verified 2026-08-21. This is not legal, tax or payroll advice and we do not file anyone's payroll.

Every formula on this site is written out in full on Method. Ordering is by computed cost, never by what a provider pays us.

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