Biznes Fakty
Unemployment in Poland Increases in July. „Surprise”
The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy announced on Wednesday that the projected unemployment rate for July was 5.4 percent, up from 5.1 percent in June.
As per the estimates released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy (MRPiPS), there were 830,600 individuals registered as unemployed at labor offices by the end of July, resulting in a registered unemployment rate of 5.4%.
In the previous month – June – the estimated registered unemployment rate stood at 5.1%, with 797,000 unemployed individuals recorded at labor offices.
„These figures were influenced by both structural transformations within the economy and new regulations governing the operation of the labor market in Poland,” the ministry stated.
Voivodeships with the lowest and highest unemployment
The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy indicated that the lowest unemployment rate is found in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship (3.3%), while the highest is in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (8.8%).
During July, employers reported 44,500 job openings and job activation offers to labor offices, marking a 35.3% increase compared to June. The most in-demand positions included salespeople, production workers, office personnel, and maintenance staff.
„The registration at labor offices was primarily triggered by the conclusion of temporary contracts, mutual terminations, and notices of termination from employers. Those who registered earlier mostly came from sectors such as industrial processing, trade, and construction. The prevalent jobs were salesperson, cook, warehouse worker, and economic technician,” the ministry elaborated.
Simultaneously, a significant number of unemployed individuals engaged in professional activities or availed themselves of support mechanisms like internships, emergency jobs, or starting a business – these were the primary reasons for deregistration.
New regulations for unemployed people
In a press release, the ministry highlighted that a new law concerning the labor market and employment services came into effect on June 1, 2025. Among other provisions, these regulations enable individuals to retain their unemployment status without the necessity of appearing in person at an employment office.
In his view, this has reduced the number of deregistrations and thus impacted the statistical data. Temporary effects from the implementation of new activation support methods are also anticipated.
The Ministry reminded that, according to Eurostat figures, the unemployment rate in Poland in June 2025 was 3.5%, placing Poland third in the European Union – behind Malta (2.5%) and the Czech Republic (3%). The Ministry assessed that this rate is „considerably lower than the EU average (5.9%) and the eurozone average (6.2%).” The highest unemployment rate in the EU was observed in Spain (10.4%).
Comments
„July presented another surprise regarding the unemployment rate, which climbed to 5.4%, surpassing the anticipated 5.2%. The reason? The data continues to be complicated by statutory changes (details in the link below). Consequently, more than 50,000 additional unemployed individuals were recorded in June and July! As a result, the unemployment rate by year-end is expected to be significantly above 5.5%,” analysts from the Analizy Pekao team assessed on the X platform.
