Unemployment has been rising in recent months and has reached where Poland was last in September 2021 with an unemployment rate of 6.1%. It has been much worse in our recent history, the question is what is hidden behind these numbers.
According to the analysis of the unemployment structure prepared by the Central Statistical Office, published on Thursday, more and more people live among us who they have been unemployed for over two years. According to calculations at the end of December, such unemployed people there were already 190.8 thousand and during the year their number increased by 14.4 thousand, or 8.2%. rdr.
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Statistics people who have been unemployed for over a year but for less than 24 monthslooks even worse. Their number increased by 21.9 thousand over the last year, i.e. by 18%. up to 143.6 thousand This means that there is a growing group of people around us who are unemployed for a long time, i.e. they earn a living on something other than wages.
At the end of February there were a total of 447.1 thousand long-term unemployed people in Poland, i.e. by as much as 13.9 percent. more year to year. What does this mean? After all, they must have some source of income, and here they are… unemployed for years.
What causes long-term unemployment?
Detailed data from the Central Statistical Office suggest the answers. The first thing is that this is partly due to an increase in the number of disabled people who depend on health benefits. It increased by 4.9 thousand. y/y (+9.6% y/y) to 54.1 thousand 500 fewer unemployed people benefited from social assistance benefits, i.e. 10.3 thousand. at the end of February this year.
|
Unemployed for over 2 years |
190.8 thousand |
+14.4 thousand (+8.2%) |
|
Unemployed 12-24 months |
143.6 thousand |
+21.9 thousand (+18%) |
|
Long-term unemployed (total) |
447.1 thousand |
+13.9% |
|
People with disabilities |
54.1 thousand |
+4.9 thousand (+9.6%) |
|
Benefiting from social assistance |
10.3 thousand |
-500 |
|
Unemployed in the countryside |
391.9 thousand |
+33 thousand (+9.2%) |
|
Unemployed people in the countryside without the right to benefits |
335.3 thousand |
+33.6 thousand (+11.1%) |
|
Owners of individual farms in the countryside without the right to benefits |
17 thousand |
+900 (+5.4%) |
|
Owners of individual farms |
22.1 thousand |
no data |
The answer to what the long-term unemployed earn their living can be found in rural statistics. Registered unemployed here 33 thousand people arrived within 2025 (+9.2% y/y) to 391.9 thousand Of this, 22.1 thousand has an individual farm.
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There are as many as 335,300 people without the right to benefits in rural areas. people and 33.6 thousand of them arrived. within 2025, (+11.1% y/y). Rural residents constitute as much as 44 percent. unemployed without benefits in Poland. However, since they do not receive benefits and are not officially employed, they apparently earn their living from farming, e.g. from selling vegetables and fruit in markets. Registration at the employment office gives them access to health care financed by the National Health Fund. The constitution indicates that they should be entitled to it free of charge, but the law requires that they register as an unemployed person for this purpose.
Among the unemployed in rural areas without the right to benefits, 17 thousand are owners of an individual farm. There were 900 unemployed people who were probably working in their fields during the year, i.e. 5.4%.
