GDANSK/WARSAW Jan 21 (Reuters) - Polish wage growth and industrial output beat estimates in December, statistics office data showed on Friday, in a sign of both the resilience of Polish industry and the inflationary pressures the economy faces.
The economy has rebounded strongly from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but a tight labour market and fast-growing wages have combined with global factors like rising energy costs and supply chain disruptions to produce the highest inflation in over two decades.
Polish corporate sector wages rose by an annual 11.2% in December to an average of 6,644 zlotys ($1,664) per month, above analysts' expectations of 9.1%, the data showed. In monthly terms, wages rose by 10.3%.
"Wage dynamics (this year) may be very high, which is good for employees and consumption, but it will make the fight against inflation difficult," said Piotr Bielski, director of the economic analysis department of Santander Bank Polska.
Meanwhile, industrial output rose 16.7% in December, above analysts' estimates of 13.0%.
Bank Millennium analysts noted that the increase in production was broad, covering 30 out of 34 industrial sectors.
"Domestic industry is coping better with supply difficulties than other European countries, due to a relatively lower dependence on foreign suppliers and a lower share of industries most affected by this problem," they said in a note.
Poland's producer price index (PPI) stood at 14.2% in December, above the 13.5% seen in a Reuters poll. The fastest growth was seen in mining as well as electricity and gas. ($1 = 3.9919 zlotys) (Reporting by Adrianna Ebert and Anna Banacka in Gdansk, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw; Writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
