During Poland's presidency at the Council of the European Union, we managed to get a general approach to adopting a directive banning unpaid internships. Although work in Brussels is still ongoing, we are already working on a bill prohibiting unpaid internships in Poland. 

No more unpaid internships

On 16 September 2025, the Government Work Programming Team received a draft bill prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy to eliminate unpaid internships, which was then added to the Council of Ministers' list of tasks.

We are committed to improve the quality of internships themselves, but also to protect young people in particular from abuse and exploitation. 

Why do we need change?

Both employers and young people appreciate internships as a chance to gain valuable practical skills and initial work experience. Unfortunately, they are not always keen to take advantage of them and often find them unattractive. 

Graduate internships are also poorly recognised and very often unpaid. Statistics show that almost half of employers do not offer any remuneration for them. 

Working together to combat unpaid internships

In the second half of July 2025, a meeting was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy with representatives of ministries, employers, university career offices, members of youth organisations and others, dedicated to the problem with internships on the Polish labour market.

Gaining professional experience through internships can be and is a valuable way to develop our competences and skills. However, if it is work, it should always be accompanied by decent remuneration. How much and what kind? We can discuss about this, but the position of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy is the same for every job. If there is work, there should be a pay

– said the Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk at the meeting.