2025-11-12-莱坊-Katowice_city_attractiveness_and_office_market_Q3_2025_8页_1mb

Strong Cities - Katowice

City Attractiveness & Investment

• Rankings & Recognition:
  • Ranked 9th in "Top 10 Large European Cities of the Future 2025".
  • 3rd place in "Polish Cities of the Future 2050" sub-ranking (office/residential) and 1st in the school category.
  • 2nd place in "Forbes" ranking for Business-Friendly Cities among municipalities 150,000-299,000 inhabitants.
  • Awarded the title "European City of Science 2024" by EuroScience Association.
  • Recognized as "Stars of Tomorrow (Top 100 Cities of the Future)" by Boston Consulting Group.
  • 7th place in Schuman Foundation ranking for ecological Polish cities.
  • Received a certificate for top Investor Service Standards in Local Government.
  • Certified as having one of Europe's best investor service policies.
  • Selected as Poland's City for FDI Strategy cooperation.
• Economic & Demographic Indicators:
  • Area: 164.7 sq km.
  • Population (Katowice): ~278,900 (2023 est.), forecast 261,050 by 2030.
  • GDP Growth: 18.0% (latest period).
  • Unemployment Rate: Below 1.5% (Sept 23/Sept 24).
• Investment & Quality of Life:
  • Top-tier investor hub with dedicated government department (Investors Assistance Dept, Katowice SEZ), offering high-value services.
  • Highly rated quality of life: 1st place in Business Insider's ranking of Best Polish cities to live, 2nd place among large Polish cities in ecological ranking, 2nd place in "Europolis" ecological award ranking, 6th place award for sustainable development.

Office Market (Q3 2025)

• Current State:
  • Total office stock: ~742,000 sq m (~6% of Poland-wide stock).
  • Vacancy rate hits record-high: 23.4% (up 0.7 pp qoq, 2.9 pp yoy). Slows down leasing activity significantly.
  • Average rental rates stable: 10.00-14.50 EUR/sqm/month (headline), service charges stable: 14.00-26.00 PLN/sqm/month.
• Supply & Demand (Jan-Sep 2025):
  • New supply minimal (0 sq m leased).
  • Take-up activity low in Q3, concentrated in Q1 (18,500 sq m), mostly by Coworking (66%) and Renewals (30%). IT dominates demand (37%).
  • Significant new supply under construction (34,000 sq m) including major projects like Eco City Katowice & District of New Technologies.

HR Perspective (Labour Market Trends)

• Market Stability & Salaries:
  • Market entered a phase of tactical patience, cautious for both employers and employees.
  • Pay increases tied to role/market, high-demand roles (esp., IT/Cybersecurity) retain bargaining power.
  • Salary variance exists by seniority, function, and sector (Finance, Real Estate, IT higher).
  • Observed salary peaks: Head of Accounting (29k-35k PLN), Security/Ops (20k-25k PLN), IT Security Officer/CISO (35k-50k PLN), Finance Director (c. 35k PLN).
  • Recruitment cycles lengthened significantly.
• Skills & Future Outlook:
  • High demand for finance experts, IT specialists (especially cybersecurity, Big Data).
  • Rising importance of soft skills, independence, creativity, relationship-building.
  • Emergent demand for adaptability, digital skills, and hybrid working flexibility.
  • Real estate sector undergoing digital transformation.