In conversations about warehouse automation, one argument comes up again and again: “A forklift operator only costs around EUR 1,380 per month, so why invest in AGV?” This is a myth that can completely distort the ROI calculation.
From gross salary to the real employer cost
The average forklift operator salary in Poland in 2025 is around PLN 5,800 gross, or roughly EUR 1,380 per month. But salary alone does not reflect the full cost of employment. After pension, disability, accident insurance, Labour Fund, Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund and PPK contributions are added, the employer cost rises to around EUR 1,685 per month.
That already means approximately EUR 20,200 per year in a gross-to-gross cost model, before the real operating burden of the site is included.
Hidden costs that change the ROI result
In manufacturing and logistics businesses, additional corporate overhead usually needs to be included:
- around 8% for vacation and public holidays,
- around 4% for sick leave and absenteeism,
- around 2% for training as well as UDT and HSE certification,
- around 1-2% for workwear and personal protective equipment,
- around 10-15% for HR, administration, recruitment and benefits,
- around 5-10% for turnover and onboarding of new employees.
Once these items are added, the real annual cost of one operator usually reaches EUR 24,000-26,000, which is roughly 20-30% more than the salary-based assumption alone.
What this means for AGV / AMR ROI
If we use a realistic operator cost of around EUR 2,000-2,200 per month, the economics of automation look very different. One autonomous forklift operating across two shifts can replace 2 FTEs, creating annual savings in the range of EUR 40,000-50,000.
This is not theory. These are the kinds of numbers companies actually use when making investment decisions.
Conclusion for manufacturing and logistics teams
Automation is not always cheaper at the starting point, but in the longer term it often becomes the only practical way to preserve competitiveness, process cost predictability and operational stability. That is why AGV and AMR ROI should be calculated on the basis of the real operator cost, not gross salary alone.
Sources
- bialecki.pl - forklift operator salaries in 2025
- pomoc.ifirma.pl - employer costs under the 2025 minimum wage rules
- hrappka.pl - salaries and employment costs in 2025
