Labour market information: Poland

General information on Poland

Poland is located between the Baltic Sea in the north and the Sudetes and Carpathians in the south, predominantly in the Vistula and Odra basins. It is bordered to the north by Russia and Lithuania, to the east by Belarus and Ukraine, to the south by Slovakia and Czechia, and to the west by Germany. With an administrative area of 312 696 km², Poland ranks 69^th in the world and ninth in Europe. It is inhabited by almost 38.2 million people (March 2021). Poland is divided into 16 provinces, consisting, in total, of 66 cities with district rights, 314 districts, and 2 477 municipalities. Warsaw is the largest city and at the same time the capital of Poland. Other large cities include Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Szczecin.

Poland is a democratic country with a developed, high-yield economy and a high quality of life index. It is attractive to tourists and active leisure enthusiasts, as evidenced by the fact that approximately 20 million tourists visited Poland annually before the COVID‑19 pandemic, making it one of the most visited countries in the world. The diverse landscape of individual regions of Poland and different forms of recreation to choose from, from sea bathing, through sailing on lakes, to skiing and mountain climbing, bring tourists from distant countries to Poland.

Poland is a perfect place to invest and develop businesses. International reports emphasise Poland’s economic and political stability, well-educated and competent staff and large internal market.

Its 38-million sales market is one of the largest in the European Union. Convenient location in the centre of Europe and at the crossroads of its main communication routes makes it possible to export goods from Poland to all European countries, thus reaching over half a billion consumers. Poland’s main trading partners include: Germany, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine, and Spain.

Poland offers foreign companies a range of investment incentives. One of the many options is to locate investments in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). There are 14 such zones in Poland. These are separate areas where business activities may be conducted on special, preferential terms. SEZs offer attractive tax relief, employment opportunities and well-prepared investment areas to new investors.

Labour market in Poland

With a result of 73.6% (2020), Poland belongs to the group of EU-27 Member States that achieved an employment level in the 20–64 age group consistent with the targets set by the European Commission for 2020. In general, the main indicators reflecting the situation on the labour market in Poland were improving from year to year and we were steadily moving closer to the EU average. The positive growth tendencies slowed down in 2020 as a result of the COVID‑19 pandemic and restrictions imposed on economies as a consequence. However, contrary to concerns about the expected labour market crisis, only a slowdown in the growth of its main indicators was observed.

In 2020, the economic activity rate in the 15–64 age group was 71% and increased by 0.4 percentage point compared with the previous year. Within the same period, the employment rate in the same group increased by 0.5 percentage point, up to 68.7%. It is worth adding that already in 2018 Poland exceeded the national target provided for in the Europe 2020 strategy in terms of the employment rate for the 20–64 age group set at 71%. In 2018, the employment rate in the 20–64 age group in Poland was 72.2%, in 2019 it went up to 73%, and in 2020 – to 73.6%. The unemployment rate, on the other hand, was 3.2% in 2020 and declined by 0.1 percentage point over the year. As regards the unemployment rate, it is important to note that while upon its accession to the EU Poland was the country with the highest unemployment rate in the EU, that rate has remained below the EU average since 2012, and we have ranked among the countries with the lowest unemployment rate in the EU for several years now. It should be emphasised that the rates in question improved in Poland in 2020 in comparison to 2019, despite the on-going pandemic, even though the EU-27 recorded deterioration in this regard.

According to Eurostat data, in spite of the LFS methodology being changed, in May 2021 Poland still had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU (for the 15–74 age group), after Czechia, the Netherlands, Germany, and Malta, with its rate standing at 3.8% compared with 7.3% in the EU-27 and 7.9% in the euro area. In 2014–2019, the level of registered unemployment continued to decrease in Poland. In 2018, at the end of the year, the number of unemployed persons dropped below 1 million for the first time in 30 years, standing at 968 900 (a decrease by 10.4% compared with the previous year), while the registered unemployment rate decreased to 5.8%.

A record low number of persons were registered as unemployed at labour offices in October 2019 (840 500). The registered unemployment rate was 5% in that period. At the end of 2019, the number of unemployed persons stood at 866 400, while the unemployment rate was 5.2%. A further decline in the registered unemployment rate was halted by the outbreak of the pandemic. After a period during which the Polish economy was frozen and the resulting restrictions, the situation on the labour market seems to be heading towards stability. Employers’ initial, alarming reactions and announcements of redundancies have clearly subsided. Measures proposed by the Polish government as part of the ‘Anti-Crisis Shield’ have undoubtedly contributed to that situation. In view of the above, the rate of registered unemployment growth has eased.

The registered unemployment rate (at labour offices) at the end of June 2021 was 5.9%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point as compared to the previous year. With 993 400 people registered, the number of registered unemployed persons dropped below 1 million for the first time in over a year. When comparing the unemployment rate as at the end of June 2021 to the number of unemployed persons registered at the end of February 2020, i.e. before the state of epidemic was declared in Poland, the level of unemployment increased by 73 500 people (i.e. by almost 8%), while the registered unemployment rate was higher by 0.4 percentage point. At the end of June 2021, labour offices had 43 900 persons registered who were made redundant for reasons related to the employer’s establishment in comparison to 52 300 a year earlier.

At the end of June 2021, 137 100 unemployed persons entitled to unemployment benefits were registered at labour offices. They represented 13.8% of the total number of persons registered as unemployed. Over the year, the group of unemployed persons entitled to benefits decreased by almost 48 000 persons, i.e. by 25.9%.

Territorial disparities in terms of unemployment have been considerable in Poland for years. This is due to imbalances in both the socio-economic development of regions and their geographical location. The territorial disparities, measured by the difference between the lowest and highest unemployment rate, varied. At the end of June 2021, the difference between the lowest and highest unemployment rate in the provinces was 5.7 percentage points (3.5% in the Wielkopolskie Province, 9.2% in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province).

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According to the Statistics Poland's labour demand survey carried out among entities employing at least one person, 470 400 new jobs were created in Poland in 2020, the majority of which were jobs in the private sector (90,5%). Most new jobs were created in the smallest enterprises, employing up to nine persons (39.1%), and the least in enterprises employing more than 49 persons (28.3%). The average number of vacancies in Poland in 2020 was 83 400, that is 41.3% less than in 2019. The largest number of vacancies in 2020 was recorded at the end of the third quarter – 91 100, and the lowest number of vacancies was recorded at the end of the first quarter – 76 500.

On average, most of the vacancies in 2020 were available in the following sections of PKD (Polish Classification of Activities): manufacturing (19 900, i.e. 22.9% of available vacancies), trade and repair of motor vehicles (12 200, i.e. 14.6%), and construction (10 500, i.e. 12.6%).

The above survey shows that most vacancies in 2020 were recorded in the following occupational groups: professionals (approx. 23,6%), craft and related trades workers (approx. 22.5%), plant and machine operators and assemblers (approx. 15.7%), clerical support workers (9.5%), service and sales workers (9.4%), and technicians and associate professionals (approx. 8.7%). The labour demand survey shows that in 2020 only about 14% of vacancies were notified to labour offices, with 26% of vacancies being notified in the education section, more than 21% in the construction section, and only 1.4% in the information and communication section.

According to reports drafted by labour offices, the highest numbers of job vacancies and places of professional activation notified to labour offices in 2020 were available in the following PKD (Polish Classification of Activities) sections:

• Administrative and support service activities – 316 000 job offers;
• Manufacturing – 245 500 job offers;
• Construction – 102 500 job offers;
• Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles – 98 800 job offers;
• Transportation and storage – 59 100 job offers.

In 2020, the highest numbers of job vacancies and places of professional activation notified to labour offices were recorded for the following occupations:

• other manufacturing labourers – 58 300 job offers;
• other elementary workers not elsewhere classified – 52 300 job offers;
• hand packer – 49 500 job offers;
• stock clerk – 42 100 job offers;
• building caretaker – 31 100 job offers;
• building construction labourer – 31 100 job offers;
• warehouse worker – 29 500 job offers;
• processing industry labourer – 23 100 job offers;
• sales worker – 22 500 job offers;
• other cleaning workers not elsewhere classified – 19 400 job offers.

Based on the Occupational Barometer survey commissioned by the Minister of Development, Labour and Technology, carried out in all districts, 29 shortage occupations were identified in 2021 at the national level.

Among shortage occupations there were among others:

• 9 building occupations: concrete placers and finishers, pavers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, building finishers and building workers;
• 6 manufacturing occupations: electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, tailors and garment workers, metalworking machine operators, wood treaters and cabinet makers, welders, toolmakers;
• 5 medical and care industry occupations: physiotherapists and massage therapists, medical doctors, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, nurses and midwives, ambulance workers;
• 3 TSL (transport, shipping, logistics) occupations – bus drivers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers and stock clerks;
• food industry and food service industry occupations: cooks, bakers;
• educational occupations: vocational training teachers, teachers of vocational subjects;
• occupations of other categories – motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, independent accountants.

138 occupations were considered balanced at the national level. The following previously shortage groups became balanced: automotive sheet-metal workers and spray painters and varnishers, hairdressers, and accounting and bookkeeping clerks. Ambulance workers, on the other hand, will become a shortage group in 2021.

A balanced and stable situation on the labour market in 2021 may be observed, first and foremost, in the case of: postal workers (balance forecast in 363 of 380 districts), leisure and sports trainers (balance forecast in 360 districts with local surpluses forecast in 10 districts), veterinarians and insurance agents (in both cases balance is forecast in 359 districts).

The fact that a given occupational group remains a shortage group or remains balanced on the labour market at the national level does not mean that the same trend can be observed in all provinces. The situation in this respect varies from one region to another.

As at the end of 2020, 1 046 400 unemployed persons were registered at labour offices. The highest number of registered persons were recorded in the following PKD (Polish Classification of Activities) sections:

• manufacturing – 162 200 unemployed persons (15.5% of all registered persons);
• wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles – 161 800 unemployed persons (15.5% of all registered persons);
• construction – 80 000 unemployed persons (7.6% of all registered persons);
• administrative and support service activities – 62 600 unemployed persons (6.0% of all registered persons);
• other service activities – 52 200 unemployed persons (5% of all registered persons);
• accommodation and food service activities – 39 000 unemployed persons (3.7% of all registered persons).

As at the end of 2020, 895 500 of the registered unemployed persons had a profession, which represented 85.6% of the total number of unemployed persons.

In terms of the number of unemployed persons, the highest-ranked occupations are:

• sales workers – 95 700 persons (10.7% of unemployed persons with an occupation);
• cooks – 28 500 persons (3.2%);
• building caretakers – 20 200 persons (2.3%);
• building construction labourers – 19 700 persons (2.2%);
• toolmakers – 19 400 persons (2.2%).

According to the Occupational Barometer results, economists will become a surplus occupation in 2021. The surplus is forecast in 195 districts. A high popularity of economics-related education at the vocational and tertiary level ensures a continuous supply of workers, which is higher than the demand for them on local labour markets.

The Dolnośląskie Province is situated in the south-west Poland, sharing borders with Germany and Czechia. It covers a surface area of 19 947 km². The province has a population of 2 891 300. Women constitute 51.9% of the total population, and 68.2% of the province’s inhabitants are urban dwellers. There are 91 towns and cities in the region, the largest being its capital, Wrocław (639 200 inhabitants).

A modern and dynamically developing economy, combining industrial tradition with state-of-the-art technologies, is the biggest asset of the Lower Silesia region. The region’s economic development is mainly based on a qualified and educated workforce, natural resources and investors. In addition, the special industrial zones offer favourable conditions for investing in the region. Lower Silesia is an automotive industry region, a leading manufacturer of porcelain, crystal, pharmaceutical and electronic products, as well as an important road, rail, air and waterway transportation hub. The headquarters of KGHM Polska Miedź SA, a leader in the global copper markets, are located there. There are many businesses with foreign capital in Lower Silesia, such as: Toyota, Volvo, Volkswagen, Bosch, PepsiCo, LG, McCain, HP, Amazon, the Service Centre for Aircraft Engines (Centrum Serwisowania Silników Lotniczych), in which the main investors are Lufthansa Technik and GE Aviation, set up near Środa Śląska, and a factory producing electric vehicle engines and batteries near Jawor, owned by Mercedes.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the economic activity rate in the over-15 age group in the province was 57.3% (compared with 56.5% for Poland), while the employment rate stood at 55.3% (compared with 54.7% for Poland). According to the LFS, the unemployment rate was 3.4%, including 4.2% for men and 2.4% for women (compared with 3.1% for Poland, including 3.9% for men and 2.7% for women).

At the end of June 2021, 66 714 persons were registered as unemployed at district labour offices in the Dolnośląskie Province, with women constituting 53.2% of those registered. It is 2 362 less than at the end of June 2020, which means a decrease by 3.2 percentage points year to year. The recorded decrease is a result of the easement of COVID‑19 restrictions in Poland. The registered unemployment rate in the province was 5.4% (against 5.9% for Poland).

At the end of the first half of 2021, the number of registered unemployed persons decreased by 2 147 compared with the end of May 2021. This is completely opposite to the situation in the respective period in the previous year and we cannot talk about seasonality here, which is usually characteristic of that period. The economic situation on the labour market at the time of the coronavirus, not only in the Dolnośląskie Province but also across Poland, is exceptional and unlike anything seen in previous years.

In 2020, the average employment level in the business sector stood at 481 400 persons, a decrease of 2.4% compared with the previous year. The decrease in average employment was recorded in 10 sections, including the largest in administrative and support service activities (by 10.3%), and in accommodation and food service activities (by 6.3%). Employment increased in 4 sections, mostly in information and communication (by 5.7%). A decrease in average employment is expected at the end of 2021. One of the major driving forces behind the economy in the Dolnośląskie Province is the hospitality industry, which is one of the industries most affected by the epidemic.

Issues related to the epidemic were accompanied by the problems of Polish business owners that had been observed for several months before March 2020. The increasing number of COVID‑19 cases in 2020 resulted in two lockdowns – in spring and in autumn. They resulted in the temporary closures of businesses, in particular in the case of catering, hotel industry, tourism, operators active in the area of culture, entertainment and physical activity, and traditional trade in manufactured articles. In spite of the governmental aid for business owners, many entities reduced their earlier employment and new hiring, however, not as drastically as initially foreseen. The recent years have witnessed a decreasing importance of small enterprises and an increasing concentration of employment in medium and large entities. The trends and developments observed on the regional labour market in the wake of the epidemic included a decrease in the number of published job offers, higher expectations for workers, remuneration cuts or changes in remuneration rules, non-renewal of contracts for persons employed under civil law contracts, a more prominent role of remote work, termination of employment contracts with individual workers, non-award of worker benefits, increased use of digital technologies, deteriorating financial condition of companies, freezing of investments, closure of businesses caused by restrictions, and a high exposure risk in certain sectors, such as hotel industry, catering, wholesale and retail trade, entertainment, and social and personal services. As the economy started opening up, certain tendencies were reversed and shortages were observed in the branches that suffered the most during lockdowns, i.e. hotel industry and catering. A typical feature of the recent months is also a large demand for seasonal workers, in particular in the construction sector.

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In the first half of 2021, district labour offices in the Dolnośląskie Province received 61 804 job offers. In comparison, 59 575 job offers were received in the first half of 2020.

The analysis of job offers broken down into major occupational groups shows that the highest number of job offers notified to district labour offices in the first half of 2021 concerned elementary workers (34% of all job offers), plant and machine operators and assemblers (21.5%) and craft and related trade workers (12.7%). The job offers in the above occupational groups represented 68.2% of all job vacancies and places of professional activation notified in this period.

The results of the 2021 Occupational Barometer survey showed that persons with the following occupations will be most in demand in the coming year: concrete placers and finishers, pavers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, physiotherapists and massage therapists, hairdressers, waiters and bartenders, bus drivers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, beauticians, tailors and garment workers, cooks, medical doctors, stock clerks, motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, construction installation assemblers, metal installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, other language teachers, vocational training teachers, teachers of general subjects, teachers of vocational subjects, early childhood teachers, special needs teachers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, rubber and plastic products machine operators, metalworking machine operators, childminders, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, bakers, nurses and midwives, kitchen helpers, accounting and bookkeeping clerks, manual and elementary workers, building finishers, uniformed services personnel, psychologists and psychotherapists, ambulance workers, building workers, wood treaters and cabinet-makers, independent accountants, welders, human resources and recruitment professionals, cleaners and maids, chefs, toolmakers, buyers and suppliers.

The labour market in the Dolnośląskie Province is highly diversified due to its geographical location, transport network and the presence of large industrial plants, which generates a strong demand for specific occupations. The largest shortages are observed in the construction industry, accommodation and food service sector, as well as transportation and storage. Unlike in most districts, demand for workers in the ICT industry remains high in the Wrocław agglomeration.

As at the end of June 2021, most unemployed persons who had previously been employed represented the following occupational groups: ‘craft and related trade workers’ (21.7%), ‘service and sales workers’ (21.4%), unemployed persons without occupation (12.6%), and ‘technicians and associate professionals’ (11.2%).

No surplus occupation was identified in the forecast for the entire region for 2021 according to the Occupational Barometer.

The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province is located in central Poland and has an area of 18 000 km², which constitutes 5.7% of the area of Poland. It has 2 061 900 inhabitants (as at 31/12/2020) with 59% of the population living in cities. The region has two capitals: Bydgoszcz, the seat of the majority of public administration offices, and Toruń, where the local government administration offices are located. Besides Bydgoszcz and Toruń, the province’s major cities are Włocławek, Grudziądz and Inowrocław. These cities are also important industrial hubs in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, representing primarily the food industry, closely linked to the province’s raw material base, followed by the chemical, electromechanical, textile, cellulose and printing industries. The fast-growing BPO/SSC sector, renewable energy sources and agriculture are also of great importance for the province’s economy. The province’s industrial development is boosted by its central location and a well-developed communication network. Tourism and recreation is yet another example of sectors developing in the province, thanks to excellent natural resources (spa waters and health-resorts, e.g. in Ciechocinek, Inowrocław and Wieniec Zdrój), and architectural monuments (Toruń is on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List). The province is home to excellent scientific and research facilities, with the Nicolaus Copernicus University (Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika) in Toruń, University of Science and Technology in Bydgoszcz and the Kazimierz Wielki University (Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego) in Bydgoszcz, as well as centres supporting the development of modern solutions for industry, such as the Centre for Technology Transfer (Centrum Transferu Technologii) and Exea Data Centre, both based in Toruń.

As at the end of June 2021, the number of national economy entities in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province amounted to 212 671 and was higher by 3.1% than a year earlier. 23.2% of entities newly registered in June 2021 belonged to the construction section, while 14.9% to trade; repair of motor vehicles. In June 2021 approximately 5% less new entities were registered in the Business Register (REGON) than a year earlier. The most important enterprises which represent the region’s key sectors include: Zakłady Azotowe Anwil S.A. (Włocławek), Mondi Świecie S.A. – chemical industry; Grupa TZMO (Toruń) – chemical and pharmaceutical industry; Pojazdy Szynowe Pesa Bydgoszcz (Bydgoszcz), Apator S.A., (Toruń) – electrical machinery industry; Zakłady Tłuszczowe Kruszwica S.A. (Kruszwica), Krajowa Spółka Cukrowa S.A. (Toruń), Cereal Partners Poland Toruń-Pacific Sp. z o.o. (Toruń) – food industry; ThyssenKrupp Materials Poland S.A. (Toruń), Nova Trading S.A. (Chojnice) – metal industry, ALSTAL Grupa Budowlana (Bydgoszcz), SOLBET Sp. z o.o., (Solec Kujawski) – construction industry; Lewiatan Holding S.A. (Włocławek), Oponeo PL S.A. (Toruń), Polomarket (Giebnia) – retail trade; Neuca (Toruń) – pharmaceutical industry; Chemirol Sp. z o.o. (Mogilno), Agrolok Sp. z o.o. (Golub-Dobrzyń) – agricultural supply; Atos IT Services Sp. z o.o., Nokia Bydgoszcz, SDL Poland. Sp. z o.o., Mobica Limited Sp. z o.o. (Bydgoszcz), Opus Capita Sp. z o.o. (Toruń) – BPO/SSC industry.

At the end of June 2021, the unemployment rate in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province reached the level of 8.4% (8.7% in June 2020). In particular districts, the unemployment rate in the discussed period was as follows: Bydgoszcz Grodzki 3.2%, Bydgoszcz Ziemski 4.8%, Grudziądz Grodzki 10.2%, Grudziądz Ziemski 13%, Toruń Grodzki 4.5%, Toruń Ziemski 10.7%, Włocławek Grodzki 10.4%, Włocławek Ziemski 15.1%, Aleksandrów Kujawski 13.4%, Brodnica 8%, Chełmno 13.2%, Golub-Dobrzyń 11.2%, Inowrocław 12.4%, Lipno 15.5%, Mogilno 10.6%, Nakło upon Noteć 12.4%, Radziejów 16.2%, Rypin 10.2%, Sępólno Krajeńskie 12.4%, Świecie 7.7%, Tuchola 11.1%, Wąbrzeźno 12.9%, Żnin 10.2%. The economic activity rate in the first quarter of 2020 stood at 54.8% (56% for Poland), the employment rate at 52.7% (54.2% for Poland), and the unemployment rate according to the LFS at 3.1% (3.1% for Poland).

Year 2020 brought changes on the labour market due to the COVID‑19 pandemic. Business activity in many industries, mainly services, was limited. This resulted in many workers losing their employment and business owners often having to suspend their business activity. As a consequence, at the end of 2020, the number of registered unemployed persons in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province increased to 73 500. It could be observed that a growing percentage of unemployed persons were people dismissed for reasons related to the employer’s establishment and unemployed persons without professional qualifications, as well as the young unemployed below 25. A decrease in unemployment can currently be observed in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. In June 2021, 68 415 unemployed persons were registered, i.e. 5.2% less than a year ago.

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In 2020, employers notified 52 325 job vacancies and places of professional activation to labour offices. During one year the number of vacancies and places of professional activation decreased by 30.3%. Employment opportunities concerned mainly occupations in the following sections: administrative and support service activities (11 876 job vacancies and places of professional activation), manufacturing (11 575), construction (6 252), wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (5 355). Employers, first and foremost, looked for building caretakers (3 272 vacancies and places of professional activation), other manufacturing labourers (2 740), building construction labourers (1 884), and other elementary workers (1 827).

The labour demand survey shows that in the fourth quarter of 2020, there were 3 500 vacancies in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. More than a half of vacancies (64%) were in the following sections: construction, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles. Most vacancies were intended for industrial workers (36.3%).

The results of the Occupational Barometer survey show that shortages of workers are expected in the following industries in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province in 2021:

• industrial sector: electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, tailors and garment workers, metalworking machine operators, wood treaters and cabinet makers, welders, toolmakers;
• transportation: heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, bus drivers, motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, and automotive sheet-metal workers and spray painters and varnishers;
• construction: pavers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, building finishers, and building workers;
• healthcare: physiotherapists and massage therapists, medical doctors, nurses and midwives, psychologists and psychotherapists, ambulance workers, and carers of older persons or persons with disabilities;
• education: vocational training teachers, teachers of vocational subjects, special needs teachers;
• food service activities: cooks, chefs.

In most cases, job applicants in the above industries are required to have current certification (including welding, electrical certifications, Driving Certificate of Professional Competency) and medical certificates. A lack of professional experience or a long professional break and the resultant obsolescence of qualifications are an obstacle to taking up employment for many jobseekers in technical professions. Persons seeking employment in the above industries are also often expected to be ready to work in difficult conditions (the metal industry), have knowledge of modern technologies and foreign languages, and be flexible.

The following major occupational groups were the most frequently represented among unemployed persons in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province in 2020: service and sales workers (24.7%) and craft and related trade workers (20.7%). Unemployed persons most often held the following occupations: sales worker, cook, labourer, toolmaker, building construction labourer, economics technician and hairdresser. 15% of unemployed persons had no profession.

On the basis of the results of the Occupational Barometer survey, a surplus of workers may be forecast in the following three occupational groups in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province in 2021: economists, philosophers, historians, political scientists and culture experts, and, due to the COVID‑19 pandemic, travel consultants and clerks. The availability of jobs in these groups is lower than the number of people who would like to and could take up employment.

The Lubelskie Region is located in the central-eastern part of Poland. The Region’s industrial development is poor, but it is an important agricultural production centre. It borders Podlaskie, Mazowieckie, Świętokrzyskie and Podkarpackie regions. The Lublin region borders Belarus and Ukraine. It is the third largest region in Poland, with an area of 25 100 km². The population density is 83 persons per km², compared with the national average of 122 persons per km². The Lubelskie Province ranks ninth in Poland in terms of population. The province is divided into 20 districts. There are a total of 213 municipalities in the Lubelskie Province, including 20 urban municipalities, 163 rural municipalities and 30 urban and rural municipalities. The Lubelskie Province is one of four Polish provinces where more than half of the population live in rural areas. The city of Lublin is the province’s administrative centre. Other major towns in the region are Chełm, Zamość and Biała Podlaska.

At the end of December 2020, the Lubelskie Province had a population of 2 095 258, which represented 5.5% of the total population of Poland. In terms of population the province ranked ninth in the country and fourteenth considering the proportion of town dwellers compared to the overall population. Statistical data indicate a downward trend in the population of the Lublin region. At the end of 2020, women formed the majority of the population in the Lubelskie Province (51.5%). Another characteristic feature is a relatively low level of urbanisation. The most urbanised among the districts were Świdnik (the urban population made up 57.8% of the total population), Puławy (47.4%) and Ryki (45.8%) Districts. The smallest share of town dwellers was recorded in Chełm District (10.0%) and Lublin District (7.2%).

The labour demand survey shows that at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020 the number of employed persons amounted to 454 900. Nearly two-thirds (64.3%) of these persons were employed in the private sector, while 35.7% were employed in the public sector. 52.1% of the employed worked in large enterprises, 29.3% in medium-sized enterprises, and 18.5% in small ones.

As at the end of June 2021, 71 514 unemployed persons were registered at labour offices, out of which 36 159 were women (50.6%). The unemployment rate stood at 7.7% and was higher by 1.8 percentage points than the national rate, which stood at 5.9%. The unemployment rate was the highest in the following districts: Włodawa (15.0%), Hrubieszów (12.4%) and Chełm (11.7%), and the lowest in the following districts: Łuków (4.1%), Biłogoraj (4.8%) and Łęczna (5.1%). 6 966 unemployed persons (i.e. 9.7%), including 3 853 women, were entitled to benefits.

Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors of the Lubelskie Province. This is confirmed by significant land resources, a high proportion of rural population, as well as an important volume of agricultural production on the national scale. Organic farming is the region’s new agricultural development with very good prospects. The food industry plays an important role in the Lublin region, including the fruit and vegetable, sugar, dairy, milling, brewing and tobacco industries. Apiculture products and herbs are also sourced in the Lublin region. Apart from the agri-food sector, the mining industry also plays a significant part. The Bogdanka hard coal mine is located in the eastern part of the Lublin Upland. There are also many cement plants and building material plants manufacturing traditional bricks and clinker bricks, cellular concrete and precast concrete products. Natural mineral waters, the pride of the Nałęczów health resort, are the natural wealth of the region. The region’s economy also covers chemical industry, timber and furniture industry, metal and machine-building industry, including the aerospace industry in Świdnik.

The largest employers in the Lubelskie Province include: EMPERIA HOLDING – a chain of wholesale food outlets, Black Red White capital group – a furniture manufacturer, Genpact Poland Spółka z o.o., Lubelski Węgiel Bogdanka S.A. – a manufacturer of hard coal for the power industry, Lubella S.A. – one of the biggest leaders in the production of flour, pasta and salty sticks in Poland, Sipma – a manufacturer of agricultural and gardening machinery, PGE Dystrybucja, Zakłady Azotowe Puławy S.A. – a leader of the Polish fertiliser and chemical industry in the production of nitrogen fertilisers for agriculture, Zakłady Mięsne Łuków S.A., ‘Wierzejki’ Meat Plant (Zakład Mięsny ‘Wierzejki’), Herbapol Lublin S.A. – a manufacturer of herbal products, food syrups and teas, POL-SKONE Sp. z o.o. – a woodworking company, a manufacturer of wooden doors and windows, WSK PZL Świdnik, Perła Lublin Breweries (Perła Browary Lubelskie), Stanchem Sp. z o.o. Przedsiębiorstwo Chemiczne, Spomlek Dairy Cooperative (Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Spomlek) in Radzyń Podlaski, District Dairy Cooperative (Okręgowa Spółdzielnia Mleczarska) in Krasnystaw, Dairy Cooperative (Spółdzielnia Mleczarska) in Ryki, Rolling Bearing Factory (Fabryka Łożysk Tocznych) in Kraśnik, Nałęczowianka Sp. z o.o. – a mineral water manufacturer, and Model Opakowania Sp. z o.o. – a corrugated cardboard manufacturing plant.

Already in 2020, the Provincial Labour Office in Lublin drew up the Situation on the labour market in the Lubelskie Province during the COVID‑19 epidemic at sectoral level survey report. The aim of the survey was to determine the impact of the pandemic on employment in individual sectors of the economy in the province in the near future. An electronic survey was used for that purpose, divided into two parts: I. District Labour Offices (20) and II. Employment agencies (19). The content of the questions was adapted to the type of respondents.

The results clearly showed that the epidemic primarily contributed to a decrease in the number of companies and, in consequence, staff reductions in industries such as package holidays (domestic and international) (75%), hotels and restaurants, including catering (45%), sports, recreation and entertainment, including cinemas, clubs, gyms, swimming pools, thematic parks, recreational parks and playrooms (45%), passenger transport (45%), marketing services, advertising services, PR, events management, concerts management, photography and printing houses (35%), wholesale and retail trade/sales (35%), and beauty treatment and hairdressing services (35%). At the other extreme were industries that benefitted from the epidemic, in which the number of workers may increase: postal and courier services (25%), healthcare, rehabilitation and care homes (15%), pharmaceutical, chemical and consumer goods industries (12.5%), and call centre services (12.5%).

When compared to other regions in the country, the Lubelskie Province is relatively mildly affected by the pandemic-related crisis. The first two pandemic months were the hardest. Knowledge about the coronavirus was limited, which sparked huge uncertainty. Time was necessary to develop certain solutions to help those businesses that needed it the most and to implement rules of adhering to sanitary measures in various industries. Employers needed to adapt their mode of work to the new conditions as well – many of them introduced, for example, remote work as a solution to minimise the risk of virus transmission.

The comparison of statistical data relating to the increase in the unemployment rate in the country shows that the Lubelskie Province had the second lowest level in this regard (increase by 0.9 percentage point between February 2021 and March 2020, with the respective figure for the country being 1.1 percentage points). Data on the inflow of registered unemployed persons also confirm that fewer people lost their jobs than in 2019. Job crisis was not corroborated by the monitoring of collective redundancies either. Support provided as part of the anti-crisis shield directly prevented the redundancies expected earlier. The scale of the support provided by the Public Employment Service as part of anti-crisis shields is illustrated by the support value that from the outset of the pandemic to the end of March 2021 amounted to PLN 1 013 331 162 in the Lubelskie Province. 218 377 jobs were protected thanks to these measures.

The main reason for the increase in unemployment in 2020 was limited activity of employers in terms of hiring new employees (limited outflow of registered unemployed persons). The pandemic period made employers focus on maintaining existing jobs, and due to major uncertainty they were much less likely than before to launch additional recruitment campaigns. Undoubtedly, many employers still consider further steps and potential downsizing. On the other hand, vital for the mitigation of potential redundancies will be: the financial envelope available as part of the government support, future course of the pandemic and introduction of specific restrictions as a consequence.

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Between January and June 2021, labour offices received 24 175 job offers, i.e. 25.8% more than in the respective period in the previous year. The highest number of job offers were recorded in the city of Lublin (2 970), Lublin District (2 152) and Biała Podlaska District (2 070).

The Labour Demand survey by the Statistics Poland shows that at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020 the highest number of job vacancies were in the following sections: manufacturing (33.1%), wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (26.0%), and human health and social work activities (14.3%). The largest number of vacancies were available for professionals (24.6% of all vacancies), elementary workers (16.3%), craft and related trade workers (14.5%), and service and sales workers (14.3%).

17 900 new jobs were created as at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020. The vast majority of the new jobs (87.0%) were created in the private sector and in enterprises employing up to 9 persons (56.2%). Most new jobs were created in wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (25.2%), construction (21.4%) and manufacturing (15.2%).

The results of the Occupational Barometer survey show that the most common shortage occupations, i.e. those in which employers find it most difficult to find job candidates, in the Lubelskie Province include heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, nurses and midwives, welders, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, bus drivers, teachers of vocational subjects, stock clerks, construction installation assemblers, medical doctors, vocational training teachers, bakers.

Most unemployed persons in the Lubelskie Province at the end of the first half of 2021 had the following occupations: sales worker (4 568), cook (2 063), building construction labourer (1 574), toolmaker (1 144), and building caretaker (1 089).

According to the Occupational Barometer survey, the following surplus occupations, i.e. those in which it is most difficult for jobseekers to find employment, were present in the largest number of districts in the Lubelskie Province: economists, travel consultants and clerks, philosophers, historians, political scientists and culture experts, educational counsellors, food and nutrition technology professionals, public administration professionals, mechanical engineering technicians, linguists and translators, sociologists and social/economic survey professionals.

The Lubuskie Province is located in central-western Poland (it borders Germany to the west). With the area of almost 14 000 km², it is the 13^th largest region in Poland. With 1 007 100 inhabitants, it is the least populous province in the country. Women constitute 51.4% of the total population, while men constitute 48.6%. 35.3% of the total population live in rural areas and 64.7% in towns. 18.1% of the province inhabitants are at the pre-working age, 59.8% at the working age, and the remaining 22.1% at the post-working age.

The Lubusz region is a medium-industrialised region. The presence of industrial plants of different sizes, predominantly small and medium plants, is specific to the economy of the region. A total of 258 300 persons were employed in the Lubuskie Province at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, mostly in the following sections: manufacturing (29.5% of the total), wholesale and retail trade (14.9%), education (10.2%), transportation and storage (8.3%), human health and social work activities (7.1%), construction (5.7%), public administration and defence (5.3%). Important industrial production sectors are manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, manufacture of products of wood, cork, straw and wicker, and manufacture of food products. Manufacturers of paper and paper products, as well as of metal products, also play a significant role. At the end of 2020, 1 583 companies with foreign equity participation were registered in the Lubuskie Province, including 1 508 limited liability companies. The companies with foreign equity participation in the Lubuskie Province represented 2.2% of all companies with foreign equity participation in Poland. In this respect, the Lubuskie Province ranks 10^th in the country. The major employers in the region are Kronopol Sp z o.o. in Żary, Arctic Paper Kostrzyń S.A. in Kostrzyn, Relpol S.A. GK in Żary, Gedia Poland Sp. z o.o. in Nowa Sól, Polmax Polska S.A. in Świebodzin, GK Seco/Warwick S.A. in Świebodzin, Cinkciarz.pl Sp. z o.o. in Zielona Góra, ICT Poland Sp. z o.o. in Kostrzyn, Stelmet S.A. in Zielona Góra, Lubuskie ZAE Lumel S.A. in Zielona Góra, Faurecia in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Iost Polska in Nowa Sól, Adient Poland Sp. z o.o. in Świebodzin, Se Bordnetze Polska Sp. z o.o. in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Alumetal Poland Sp. z o.o. in Nowa Sól, Rockwool Polska Sp. z o.o. in Cigacice, Domo Engineering Plastics Poland Sp. z o.o. in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Elektrociepłownia Zielona Góra S.A. in Zielona Góra, Uni-Truck Sp. z o.o. in Zielona Góra, Homanit Krosno Odrzańskie Sp. z o.o. in Krośno Odrzańskie, Nord Napędy Zakłady Produkcyjne Sp. z o.o. in Nowa Sól, Valmet Automotive Sp. z o.o. in Żary.

The economic activity rate at the end of the first quarter of 2021 was 55.1%. The employment rate stood at 53.6%. 21 626 unemployed persons were registered at district labour offices at the end of June 2021. Between June 2020 and June 2021, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 1 903, i.e. by 8.1%. The number of registered unemployed persons increased by 0.8% in the first quarter of 2021, and decreased by 9.4% in the second quarter. The increase in the first quarter of 2021 was mainly seasonal in nature (winter period) and was partially caused by the COVID‑19 epidemic and the existing economic restrictions.

At the end of June 2021, the unemployment rate was 5.7% (the sixth position in the country) and was lower by 0.2 percentage point than the national rate (5.9%). At the end of June 2021, the highest unemployment rate was recorded in Strzelce-Drezdenko (8.6%), Wschowa (8.6%) and Międzyrzecz (8.5%) Districts. The lowest unemployment rate was recorded in districts: Gorzów (urban district) – 3.3%, Słubice – 3.7%, Zielona Góra (urban district) – 4%. The unemployment rate in other districts was as follows: Gorzów (rural district) – 4.7%, Krosno – 8.2%, Nowa Sól – 6.2%, Sulęcin – 5.5%, Świebodzin – 4.9%, Zielona Góra (rural district) – 8.2%, Żegań – 7.7% and Żary – 6.3%. According to the LFS, the unemployment rate at the end of the first quarter of 2021 stood at 2.6%.

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1 300 job vacancies were recorded at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020. The majority was posted in the following sections: ‘manufacturing’ (38.7% of all job vacancies), ‘transportation and storage’ (12.5%), and ‘public administration and defence’ (9.5%).

The largest number of job vacancies concerned occupations in the following groups: ‘craft and related trade workers’ – 30.4% of all vacancies, ‘plant and machine operators and assemblers’ – 23.6%, and ‘professionals’ – 17%.

From January to June 2021, 23 122 job offers were recorded at labour offices, i.e. 21.2% more than in the respective period of 2020. Most of them were available for: ‘elementary workers’ – 9 194 offers (39.8% of all offers), ‘clerical support workers’ – 3 031 job offers (13.1%), ‘craft and related trade workers’ – 2 927 job offers (12.7%).

Most job offers were notified for the following elementary occupational groups: manufacturing labourers– 3 162 offers (13.7% of all offers), stock clerks and related workers – 1 898 offers (8.2%), building supervisors – 1 110 offers (4.8%), freight handlers – 999 offers (4.3%), hand packers and markers – 949 offers (4.1%), general office clerks – 687 offers (3%), temporary elementary workers – 640 offers (2.8%), shop sales assistants – 537 offers (2.3%), butchers, fishmongers and related food preparers – 564 offers (2.4%), car and van drivers – 494 offers (2.1%), office and hotel cleaners and helpers and related workers – 382 offers (1.7%).

The 2021 Occupational Barometer survey projects that the following occupations will be shortage occupations in the Lubuskie Province: automotive sheet-metal workers and spray painters and varnishers, pavers, confectionery makers, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, physiotherapists and massage therapists, hairdressers, civil engineers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, construction managers, tailors and garment workers, cooks, medical doctors, speech therapists and audiologists, stock clerks, butchers and fishmongers, motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, other language teachers, vocational training teachers, teachers of general subjects, teachers of vocational subjects, early childhood teachers, special needs teachers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, metalworking machine operators, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, bakers, nurses and midwives, financial and accounting clerks with foreign language skills, accounting and bookkeeping clerks, manual and elementary workers, building finishers, uniformed services personnel, social workers, psychologists and psychotherapists, ambulance workers, building workers, forestry workers, wood treaters and cabinet-makers, independent accountants, welders, toolmakers, upholsterers, and buyers and suppliers.

Out of the 21 626 inhabitants of the Lubuskie Province registered as unemployed at district labour offices as at the end of June 2021, 89.4% had previously been employed.

At the end of June 2021, the majority of unemployed persons, classified by occupational groups, represented the following professions and trades: ‘personal services and sales workers’ (24%), ‘craft and related trade workers’ (20.7%), ‘elementary workers’ (10.3%), ‘technicians and associate professionals’ (9.8%). The highest numbers of unemployed persons were recorded in the following occupations: sales worker – 2 359, cook – 629, building caretaker – 465, bricklayer – 334, toolmaker – 332, hairdresser – 332, support construction worker – 307, tailor – 301, processing industry labourer – 284, economics technician – 237, passenger vehicle mechanic – 200, stock clerk – 190, motor vehicle mechanic – 183, carpenter – 179, office cleaner – 173, baker – 163, sewing worker – 162, confectionery maker – 147.

The 2021 Occupational Barometer survey did not identify any surplus occupations in the Lubuskie Province.

The Łódzkie Region is located in central Poland. It covers an area of 18 218.95 km². As at 30/06/2020, the population of the Łódzkie Province was 2.449 million, which represents approx. 6.4% of the total population of Poland. The urban population constituted 62.4% of the total population. The largest urban agglomeration is the agglomeration of Łódź, which has a population of approx. 1 million.

At the end of June 2021, 66 800 persons were registered as unemployed at labour offices and the unemployment rate was 6.3% (an increase of 0.2% compared with June 2020). The districts with the highest unemployment were: Kutno District – 8%, Tomaszów District – 7.9% and Pajęczno District – 7.4%. The unemployment rate was the lowest in Rawa – 3.8%, Skierniewice – 3.9% and Wieruszów – 4.8% Districts. The unemployment rate for the city of Łódź stood at 6.2%. According to the LFS, the unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2021 was 4.5%. The employment rate stood at 55.2% (compared with 55% for Poland in the first quarter of 2021), while the economic activity rate was 57.8% (compared with 57.3% for Poland in the first quarter of 2021).

In 2018, GDP per capita in the Łódzkie Province was PLN 56 128, which represented 94.2% of the national average. It should be stressed that, in terms of economic development, the Łódzkie Province is gradually narrowing the gap separating it from the EU’s most developed regions. In 2019, GDP per capita in the Łódzkie Province represented 69% of the EU average, as against 65% of that average in 2017.

Apart from the service sector, industry is the most important economic sector of the region, contributing greatly to the regional output. The most developed branches of industry are as follows: production of textiles and clothing, mining of lignite, generation and distribution of electricity, production of chemicals, production of foodstuffs, production of machines and equipment, production of electrical equipment and building materials. The industrial sector is clustered around two centres: the Łódź agglomeration, dominated by the textiles and clothing industry, food and food processing industry, electromechanical industry, pharmaceutical industry and chemical industry, and the Piotrków Trybunalski and Bełchatów area, dominated by the mining industry, power generation industry, rubber industry, building materials industry, furniture industry, timber industry, spirits industry, glass industry and pharmaceutical industry.

Despite significant changes in the branch structure of the province’s industries, the textile and clothing industry continues to play a leading role in the region’s production. Redan S.A. may be considered a leading company in this industry. Currently, it focuses on its fashion brand, Top Secret. Logistics operations and sales abroad are carried out for the benefit of the brand. The company also provides IT, finance management and human resources services, among others. Another sector with significant development dynamics in the Łódzkie region is the pharmaceutical industry and wholesale trade in pharmaceuticals. Leading enterprises in this sector include: Pelion Healthcare Group, Adamed Pharma S.A.(Manufacturing facility in Pabianice), Polfa S.A. Pharmaceutical Facility in Kutno, Sensilab Polska Sp. z o.o., MEDANA PHARMA S.A., pharmaceutical facilities and herbal medicine manufacturers: Herbapol Łódź and Agropharm S.A. Tuszyn.

A thriving Slovenian medicine factory, Lek S.A. (member of the Sandoz group), is located in Stryków near Łódź. Another industry developing dynamically in the Łódzkie Province is the manufacture of building materials. The major manufacturer is the Atlas group, a leader on the domestic market and Europe’s third largest manufacturer of construction chemicals.

Construction materials are extracted and processed in the Łódzkie Province. The region is also the national leader in the production of ceramic tiles (Ceramika Opoczno, Ceramika Paradyż, Ceramika Tubądzin). The province is also home to companies from the household appliances industry: BSH Sprzęt Gospodarstwa Domowego Sp. z o. o., Whirlpool Company Polska Sp. z o.o. (formerly Indesit). The Łódź Special Economic Zone plays an important role in the province. It brings together more than 100 companies in the following sectors: logistics, pharmaceuticals, plastic processing, BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), domestic appliances, IT, the medical, cosmetics and food industries.

The outsourcing sector (BPO) has seen rapid development in recent years. A 2019 report by the Association of Business Service Leaders in Poland (ABSL) on the development of the BPO/SSC sector in Poland shows that Łódź is one of the six largest BPO centres in the country. According to data for the first quarter of 2019, approx. 23 200 workers were employed in the business services sector, covering BPO, SSC, IT and R&D services centres, in 85 companies providing services in foreign languages. Many companies with foreign equity participation operate in the region: Accenture, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), BMS Poland, Ceri International, Citi, Fujitsu, GE Power Controls, HP, Whirlpool (formerly Indesit), Infosys, Mobica, Nordea, GFT Polska (Rule Financial), Samsung Poland R&D Center, Sii, SouthWestern, Takeda, Tate & Lyle. Most of these companies specialise in IT services, financial and accounting processes, as well as research and development processes and work for companies from all over the world. Persons with foreign language skills are in demand in this sector.

The IT sector is yet another sector gaining relevance in the region (particularly in the city of Łódź). Major employers include: AMG.net, LSI Software, Tomtom, Intersoft, Centrum Komputerowe Zeto, Ericsson (formerly Ericpol), Gromar, Transition Technologies S.A., HP, Xerox, HPCC Herkules PC Components, Farbrity Grupa K2, Xerox (ACS Solutions). Application programmers, ICT systems consultants, computer systems and network engineers, and application enhancement and development professionals are primarily in demand in this industry.

Over recent years, there has also been a significant development in the hotel industry and new roads and motorways are being constructed. The following groups of occupations were the most frequently represented in job offers in the fourth quarter of 2020: craft and related trade workers (30.9% of all vacancies), plant and machine operators and assemblers (14.1%), and service and sales workers (11.8%).

The unemployment rate in the Łódzkie Province increased slightly during the COVID‑19 pandemic. The unemployment rate in the region was 5.6% (60 600 persons) in March 2020, and 6.4% (68 200 persons) in May 2021.

In March 2020, companies in the Łódzkie Province began making collective redundancies, which became more frequent in subsequent months. 290 persons were covered by collective redundancies in the Łódzkie Province in March 2020. Subsequently, employers notified district labour offices of their intention to part with 528 workers in April, and with a further 593 workers in May. However, the collective redundancies slowed down significantly in the Łódzkie region in June 2020. The so-called anti-crisis shield and lockdown slowed down the inflow of unemployed persons registered at labour offices in the second and third quarters of 2020. Many companies suspended their activity or modified their profiles. Working arrangements were modified. Employers changed their approach to remote work and allowed their staff to work from home in many industries.

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The labour demand survey by the Statistics Poland showed that 5 900 job offers were submitted in the first quarter of 2021 in the Łódzkie Province. In terms of industries, most offers came from employers from the following PKD (Polish Classification of Activities) sections: ‘manufacturing ’ (42% of all offers), ‘wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles’ (14%), ‘human health and social work activities’ (8%) and ‘construction’ (7%).

According to the 2021 Occupational Barometer, shortage occupations at the province level are: electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, physiotherapists and massage therapists, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, tailors and garment workers, stock clerks, construction installation assemblers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, nurses and midwives, accounting and bookkeeping clerks, and welders.

In terms of occupations, most job vacancies were available for drivers and mobile plant operators (16.7% of all offers), food processing, woodworking, garment and related trades workers (15.1%), health professionals (9.8%), science and engineering associate professionals (6.9%) and customer services clerks (5.4%).

The available job advertisements are dominated by job descriptions in which employers specify the skills and qualifications needed to work in a specific place. The scope of responsibilities often covers several occupations. Multi-skilling is expected of both high-class specialists in, for example, IT, automation, electronics or business outsourcing, and of persons with lower qualifications, performing work related to services, such as toolmakers-welders, backhoe loader operators, and drivers-suppliers.

Employers in Łódź regularly look for employees belonging to the group of assemblers and operators. Stock clerks, accounting and bookkeeping clerks, building workers and bricklayers are in urgent demand. Among shortage occupations there are also professionals: medical doctors, nurses and midwives, civil engineers, vocational training teachers, teachers of general subjects, financial and accounting clerks with foreign language skills, quality assurance workers, human resources and recruitment professionals, electronics, automation and robotics professionals, and instructors in educational and care establishments.

Logistics centres in the Łódź Special Economic Zone are looking for storage labourers, stock clerks (licensed to drive lift trucks), supply and distribution agents or forwarding agents with good language skills. In turn, forwarding companies are experiencing staff shortages: heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers with valid licences.

The analysis of the current job market situation shows that in many districts there are occupations for which shortages are not reported as businesses complement staff shortages through hiring workers from behind the Eastern border. These are building workers, sewing workers, cleaners, elementary workers in manufacturing, agriculture or horticulture.

Qualifications for operating and supervising devices and networks in the power, heating and gas industries are in great demand on the labour market in the Łódzkie Province. It turns out that qualification certificates awarded by the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers (Stowarzyszenie Elektryków Polskich, SEP) in the above areas are indispensable in the construction industry, in production, in the power industry or in rapidly developing photovoltaics. Electricians are a typical example of an occupation from that group.

The meat processing industry, well-developed in the Łódzkie Province, suffers from a shortage of employees with occupations such as butcher-cured meat maker, meat cutter, casing cleaner or slaughterer. Skilled craft workers such as cooks, confectionery makers, bakers or hairdressers are invariably in demand.

In the healthcare industry, it is mainly budgetary units that have difficulties in finding workers. The reason for this is an inadequate level of financing of these units. There is a shortage of both nurses and midwives, specialist medical practitioners, physiotherapists and massage therapists. The COVID‑19 pandemic revealed that shortage occupations include also ambulance workers, orderlies, emergency medical dispatchers and unlicensed personnel care assistants. In many districts shortage occupations are carers of older persons and persons with disabilities in nursing homes or other care facilities.

Building occupations are still in urgent demand, including concrete placers and finishers, carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, building workers or backhoe loader operators.

Employers are increasingly interested in employing welders, electricians with valid licenses and assemblers.

Software developers are in urgent demand on the labour market in the Łódzkie Province. Professional education in this field is useful, but not absolutely necessary, to pursue this occupation. Employers put a premium mainly on proficiency in programming languages, practical skills and professional experience.

Most persons who became unemployed in 2020 were persons made redundant in the following PKD sections (this was analysed according to the last place of work): ‘manufacturing’ (17.4%, 14 200 persons) and ‘wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles’ (11 600 persons, 14.1% of all persons who became unemployed in that year). At the end of December 2020, the largest category in terms of the number of unemployed persons (14 200, 21.0% of the total number of unemployed persons) were persons classified as ‘craft and related trade workers’. These were mainly food processing, woodworking, garment and related trades workers (33.5% of all ‘craft and related trade workers’) and metal and machinery workers (28.2% of all ‘craft and related trade workers’). The other groups were ‘service and sales workers’ (13 200 persons, 19.5% of all unemployed persons), ‘persons without occupation’ (9 500 persons, 13.9% of all unemployed persons), ‘elementary workers’ (8 700 persons, 12.8% of all unemployed persons), ‘technicians and associate professionals’ (7 200 persons, 10.6% of all unemployed persons) and ‘professionals’ (5 700 persons, 8.4% of all unemployed persons).The results of the Occupational Barometer survey, which is a forecast of demand for workers, show that there are no occupations regarded as surplus occupations in the Łódzkie Province in 2021.

Persons registered as unemployed in the Łódzkie Province are mainly those with a lower level of education, most frequently with specialisations that do not require complex skills or laborious vocational training. These are mainly occupations with high rotation levels: sales workers, elementary workers, childminders, as well as metal and machinery workers. One can talk about surplus workforce in the context of long-term unemployment. Persons in this unemployment category can be briefly characterised as follows: they have permanent health problems that prevent them from pursuing their acquired professions, they are sometimes uninterested in retraining, and they frequently do not wish to take up employment on the terms offered by employers. Employers are frequently disappointed with the quality of workforce entered into the registers of our province’s labour offices.

The Małopolska Region (Lesser Poland) is located in the south of Poland and borders with Slovakia and the following regions: Świętokrzyskie, Podkarpackie and Śląskie (Silesia). It occupies a surface area of 15 000 km² and its population is 3.4 million. The province covers 5% of the total surface area of Poland. The Małopolskie Province is divided into 22 districts – 19 rural districts and 3 urban districts, which comprise a total of 182 municipalities. The main cities of the province are: Kraków – the former capital city of Poland and the current capital of the region (780 000 inhabitants), Tarnów (107 000 inhabitants) and Nowy Sącz (84 000 inhabitants). The region’s dwellers account for approximately 9% of the total population of Poland. As regards population, the Małopolskie Province comes in at the fourth place in Poland, after Mazowieckie, Śląskie and Wielkopolskie Provinces. In 2020, the population density was 225 persons per km², compared with the national average of 122 persons per km². Only the Śląskie Province has a higher population density rate. The ratio of women to men has not changed (106 women per 100 men). The urbanisation rate (percentage of the urban population in the total population) stands at 48.1% and is one of the lowest in the country.

As at the end of 2020, more than 426 000 business entities were registered in the Małopolskie Province. Over 97% of them belong to the private sector. The highest number of businesses operated in the following sections: trade and repair of motor vehicles, construction, and professional, scientific and technical activity. The Małopolskie Province has favourable conditions for the development of the high-technology sector, automotive sector, tourism and BSS (Business Services Sector). The biggest companies operating in the Małopolskie Province include: Polska Spółka Gazownictwa (Tarnów), Can-Pack (Kraków), Carlsberg Polska (Brzesko), Coca-Cola (Niepołomice), Maspex (Wadowice), Kęty Group, ArcelorMittal (Kraków), Tele-Fonika Kable (Myślenice), Stalprodukt (Bochnia), Delphi Poland (Kraków), Valeo Autosystemy (Skawina), Synthos S.A. (Oświęcim), BP (Kraków), PGE Paliwa (Kraków), Veracomp SA (Kraków), PGD Group (Kraków), Motorola (Kraków), IBM (Kraków), Philip Morris Distribution (Kraków), Capgemini (Kraków), Comarch S.A. (Kraków), Control Process (Kraków), Tesco (Poland) Sp. z. o.o. (Kraków) and Newag S.A. (Nowy Sącz). The Małopolska region is also an important video game industry hub. Over 20% of video game companies have their registered offices or branches in this region, including Gamedesire, Reality Pump Studio and CD Projekt.

With an economic activity rate of 58.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020, higher than the national average of 56.5%, the province ranks third in Poland. Approx. 1.5 million persons were employed in the Małopolska region in 2020, i.e. more than half of the over-15 age group (the employment rate stood at 56.9%). Most persons were employed in services (59%), approx. one third in industry and construction (30%), and least of them in agriculture (11%).

The outbreak of the COVID‑19 epidemic and the resultant restrictions imposed on companies and institutions have affected the unemployment level in the Małopolska region. The number of unemployed persons in the province has been growing since the beginning of April 2020. As at the end of June 2020, the number of registered unemployed persons was 83 050 (namely 20 400 more than a year before). Restrictions of business activity distorted natural fluctuations in unemployment observed within a year. The number of unemployed persons usually dropped in spring and summer due to the seasonal nature of certain industries and increased demand for seasonal work, for example in construction, tourism or agriculture. In 2020, seasonal trends were reversed and the number of unemployed persons moved closer to the level of 2017 from month to month.

The increase in the number of unemployed persons has resulted in an increase in the unemployment rate in the province. The registered unemployment rate in the Małopolska region at the end of 2020 stood at 5.3%. Since the outset of the pandemic, it increased by 1 percentage point. In May 2021, the Małopolska region, having held for several years the third position among the regions with the lowest unemployment rates, slid down to the fourth position (ranking after Wielkopolskie, Śląskie, and Mazowieckie Provinces) and retained it in the subsequent months. During the epidemic, the province’s unemployment rate stayed below the national average (6.2% at the end of 2020).

The consequences of the COVID‑19 pandemic were visible in all districts, but with variable intensity. Throughout 2020, the number of unemployed persons increased in all parts of the Małopolska region. The relatively highest growth was recorded in Bochnia District and Myślenice District (above 60%), and the lowest was recorded in Tatry District (2%). In December 2020, the unemployment rate varied from 3.1% in Kraków and 11% in Dąbrowa District. Compared with December 2019, the unemployment rate increased in all districts in the Małopolska region: the highest increase was seen in Wadowice District (by 2%), and the lowest increase was seen in Tatry District (0.2%) and Olkusz District (by 0.5%).

With a significant part of restrictions being lifted as a result of a decrease in the number of coronavirus cases and with the vaccination roll-out, the situation of the labour market in the Małopolska region has been improving from month to month since the beginning of 2021. The number of unemployed persons in the province has been decreasing since February 2021. 78 455 persons were registered as unemployed as at the end of June 2021 (a decrease of 3 000 persons compared with May 2021 and of 1 200 persons compared with June 2020). The unemployment rate is gradually falling down as well. At the end of June 2021, it stood at 5.1% in the Małopolska region (by 0.2% less than in May 2021). The lowest shares of unemployed persons in the total number of professionally active persons in the districts of the Małopolskie Province in June 2021 were recorded in Kraków (3.3%), in Nowy Sącz (3.5%) and in Myślenice District (3.6%). Conversely, the unemployment rate was the highest in Dąbrowa District (10.2%), Nowy Sącz District (8.2%) and Tatry District (7.9%). The unemployment rate lower or equal to the rate for the entire province was witnessed in Kraków, Nowy Sącz and Tarnów, as well as in Myślenice District, Bochnia District, Miechów District, Brzesko District and Proszowice District.

The unemployment rate for the province remained the same as in the respective month of 2020. All districts, except for the city of Kraków and Kraków District, recorded a decrease in the unemployment rate, when compared to June 2020. The districts with the largest drop were Wadowice District (by 1.2%) and Olkusz District (by 1%).

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The Labour Demand survey by the Statistics Poland shows that companies in the Małopolska region offered 7 700 job vacancies at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020. Over one third of them concerned work in small or medium-sized companies. District labour offices in the Małopolska region had 3 600 job offers at their disposal in the same period.

Vacancies were recorded mainly in the following sectors: professional, scientific and technical activity (19.5%), manufacturing (16.9%), information and communication (14.3%), wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles (13%), construction (10.4%), and human health and social work activities (7.8%).

The 2021 Occupational Barometer survey identified 28 occupations with the most acute shortages of workers on the labour market in the Małopolska region. They include, among others, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, bus drivers, independent accountants, welders, bakers, hairdressers, stock clerks, vocational school teachers, numerous building occupations: earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, building finishers and building workers, as well as medical and care industry occupations, i.e. nurses and midwives, medical doctors, physiotherapists and massage therapists, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, psychologists and psychotherapists, ambulance workers.

In the province’s capital, Kraków, shortage occupations were recorded in, inter alia, the following groups:

• occupations related to IT and business services: analysts, ICT system testers and operators, database designers and administrators, programmers, financial and accounting clerks with foreign language skills, telephone and electronic customer service staff, survey interviewers, telephone survey interviewers, finance professionals;
• construction and industrial workers: concrete placers and fixers, pavers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, bricklayers and plasterers, construction installation assemblers, crane and hoist plant operators, welders, building finishers, manual and elementary workers, building workers, building technicians;
• service workers: tailors and garment workers, hairdressers, sales workers and cashiers, confectionery makers, bakers, mail carriers and couriers, shoemakers, beauticians, childminders;
• shipping and logistics workers: stock clerks, forwarding agents and supply and distribution agents, buyers and suppliers;
• medical workers: medical doctors, nurses and midwives, physiotherapists and massage therapists, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, medical equipment technicians.

The restrictions imposed on companies from many industries in the wake of the COVID‑19 epidemic have significantly reduced demand for workers. In 2020, employers notified the total of 70 660 job offers to district labour offices of the Małopolskie Province, i.e. 23% less than in 2019 (91 582). The decrease in the number of job offers notified was visible mostly from March to May 2020, when 37%, 58% and 42% less job offers were notified than in the respective months of 2019. The limited number of job offers at labour offices impeded the process of taking up employment by the unemployed persons. In 2020, there were on average 14 unemployed persons per one offer, while in the previous years there were 9.

In 2021, the number of job offers notified to labour offices has been increasing from month to month. In the first half of 2021, employers notified the total of 44 200 job offers to the district labour offices in the Małopolskie Province, i.e. 9 745 offers (28%) more than in the respective period of 2020.

In 2020, unemployment in the Małopolskie Province most often concerned workers from the following industries: trade, repair of motor vehicles (16.4%), manufacturing (13.2%), and construction (8.1%). The following groups were the most frequently represented in the registers of unemployed persons: persons without professional qualifications, shop sales assistants, building construction labourers, building caretakers, as well as waiters, cooks, hairdressers, motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, and toolmakers.

Surplus occupations in the Małopolskie Province include economists, and travel consultants and clerks. Surplus has been recorded also among administrative and clerical support workers, philosophers, historians, political scientists, culture experts, food and nutrition technology professionals, building technicians, educational counsellors, kitchen helpers, secretaries and assistants, sociologists and social/economy survey professionals, and public administration professionals.

The Mazowieckie Province is located in the central-eastern part of Poland. It has an area of 35 559 km² (11.4% of the area of Poland) and had a population of 5 425 000 in 2020 (14.2% of the population of Poland), with women representing 52.2% of that population. Warsaw is the largest city in the region. As the capital city of Poland, it is inhabited by more than 33% of the province’s total population i.e. 1 794 100 persons. The following subregional centres also play an important role in the Mazovia region: Radom, Płock, Siedlce, Ostrołęka and Ciechanów. The degree of urbanisation in the province is high and stands at 64.4%, as compared to 59.9% at the national level.

907 151 businesses (19.1% of those registered in Poland) were registered in the Mazowieckie Province as at the end of June 2021, with 53.6% of them operating in Warsaw. Most of them were engaged in wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (21.1% of all entities), professional, scientific and technical activities (15.2% of all entities), construction (10.2% of all entities), and information and communication (7.5% of all entities).

In June 2021, the highest number of persons in the Mazowieckie Province were employed (what is meant here is average employment in the business sector) in manufacturing (343 800 persons), wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (an average of 340 200 persons), transportation and storage (273 900). Their total share represented 62.3% of the total number of persons employed in the business sector.

141 367 unemployed persons were registered at labour offices as at the end of June 2021, which means that every seventh unemployed person in Poland came from the Mazovia region. The registered unemployment rate in the Mazowia region stood at 5% at the end of June 2021 (compared with the national average of 5.9%). The unemployment rate in the Mazovia region is highly territorially diversified. The highest unemployment rate in June 2021 was recorded in the following districts: Szydłowiec District (23.3%), Radom District (16.7%), Przysucha District (15.7%) and Maków District (15%). The lowest unemployment rate was recorded in the city of Warsaw (2%) and the following districts: Western Warsaw District (2.3%), Grójec District (2.5%), Pruszków District (3.4%), Grodzisk District and Piaseczno District (3.8%).

The unemployment rate according to the LFS in the Mazowieckie Province in the first quarter of 2021 stood at 3.8%, compared with the national unemployment rate of 3.4%.

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Before the COVID‑19 pandemic, the number of persons employed in the Mazowieckie Province was projected to increase by 5.1% by 2022. Structural changes in the region will, nevertheless, most probably be implemented in line with projections predicting that major changes in the employment structure will take place in agriculture and market services (covering both traditional and modern, ultra-efficient services), whereas the share of employment in industry and non-market services will remain relatively unchanged. The projected sectoral changes in the Mazowieckie Province are reflected in the trends observed in the occupational structure, which suggest a high increase in demand for professionals, a considerable decrease in the share of working farmers and minor changes in the remaining major occupational groups.

The highest number of job vacancies and places of professional activation in the Mazowieckie Province in June 2021 were available in the following sections: administrative and support service activities; manufacturing; wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles; construction; public administration and defence; compulsory social security; accommodation and food service activities; and transportation and storage. In the period in question, the highest number of job vacancies and places of professional activation were recorded in the following occupations: other manufacturing labourers; other elementary workers not elsewhere classified; hand packers; stock clerks; kitchen helpers; processing industry labourers; warehouse workers; building construction labourers.

Demand for workers according to the Occupational Barometer 2021 for the Mazowieckie Province points to shortages in 17 occupational groups (the forecast for 2020 showed shortages in 20 groups), 151 professions are described as balanced and no surplus occupations are identified. Shortage occupations are mostly those in the construction industry (6 occupational groups, including carpenters and joiners; construction roofers and sheet-metal workers; bricklayers and plasterers; earthmoving plant operators and mechanics; building finishers; and building workers) and in the medical industry (3 groups: physiotherapists and massage therapists; medical doctors; nurses and midwives). Shortage are still recorded also in respect of: welders; heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers; toolmakers; bakers; stock clerks. As in 2020, teachers of vocational subjects belong to shortage occupations as well. Two groups are expected to move from the ‘balanced’ to ‘shortage’ category in 2021 and these are motor vehicle mechanics and repairers and carers of older persons or persons with disabilities. When compared to 2020, 5 occupational groups changed their status from ‘shortage’ to ‘balanced’: electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, cooks, tailors and garment workers, vocational training teachers, construction installation assemblers. It should be noted that these occupations still remain in shortage in many districts; for instance, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers are in shortage in 17 districts of the province (with Siedlce and the Siedlce District reported together), tailors and garment workers in 15 districts (with Siedlce and the Siedlce District reported together), while the shortage of vocational training teachers is recorded in 16 districts (with Radom and the Radom District reported together and Siedlce and the Siedlce District reported together), as well as Warsaw.

The highest unemployment rate in June 2021 was recorded for the following occupations: sales worker, cook, building construction labourer, building caretaker, welder, stock clerk, hairdresser, economics technician, other general office clerks, office clerks, processing industry labourer, bricklayer, tailor, motor vehicle mechanic, economist, office cleaner, mechanical engineering technician, hand packer, confectionery maker, waiter, passenger vehicle mechanic, construction site labourer, customer consultant, cashier, sewing worker, baker, and heavy truck driver.

As in the previous years, the highest demand for workers in 2021 will be recorded in Warsaw, with the expected shortages in 71 occupational groups (including 1 in high shortage). The number of shortage occupations will decrease when compared to 2020, mainly due to the impact of the pandemic. This is also reflected by the Occupational Barometer for 2021, where 7 new occupations will be considered surplus in Warsaw (waiters and bartenders, travel consultants and clerks, air traffic workers, leisure and sports trainers, culture animators and event organisers, passenger vehicle drivers, economists, and PR, advertising, marketing and sales professionals). The increase in this category is attributable to the industries most affected by the consequences of the pandemic: food service, tourism, physical culture and passenger transport. A major player on the Warsaw labour market is Warsaw Chopin Airport, which attracts various industries and is an important employer for air traffic workers, flight attendants, pilots or taxi drivers. Wide restrictions in tourism had a negative impact on the situation in these occupations, which may still be reflected on the labour market in 2021. Food service sector, on the other hand, has been affected by the COVID‑19 due to the temporary closure of restaurants, restrictions to only delivery services, lack of special events or the lockdown of clubs and discos. These circumstances had a particularly adverse impact on the situation of cooks, waiters, bartenders or baristas. However, supporting workers in food service activities are still in demand. If the situation on the labour market improves in the second quarter of 2021 as forecast, it is possible that employment in these professions will stabilise slowly.

The Opolskie Province is the smallest province in Poland (9 412 km²), located in the south-west of the country. It is inhabited by only 983 000 persons, which constitutes approx. 2.6% of Poland’s total population. The population of the region has been systematically decreasing.

The situation on the labour market, in comparison with the average situation in the country, is a bit more difficult. At the end of 2020, the economic activity rate stood at 55.6%, compared with 56.5% for Poland. The employment rate, in turn, stood at 54.1% compared with the national rate of 54.7%.

The number of businesses in the Opolskie Province is relatively stable, standing at slightly over 106 000, and employment is concentrated mainly in the industrial sector (31.3%), which is typical of the region as a whole. A considerable percentage of people is employed in trade (14%), education (13.3%) and construction (12%).

23 165 persons were registered as unemployed as at the end of June 2021, while the registered unemployment rate stood at 6.4%, a decrease of 0.5% compared with June 2020. The Opole District (the capital of the province) is in the most favourable position, with a registered unemployment rate of 3.6%, compared with 9.6% in Głubczyce District.

The major employers in the Opolskie Province are: Zakłady Azotowe Kędzierzyn, Elektrownia Opole, Górażdże Cement S.A., Nutricia Zakłady Produkcyjne Sp. z o.o., ArcelorMittal Poland Branch in Zdzieszowice, Multiserwis Sp. z o.o.

The situation on the regional labour market has deteriorated considerably in the wake of the COVID‑19 outbreak. When comparing data for the third quarters of 2019 and 2020 (*peak of the third wave), the LFS carried out by the Statistics Poland points to the deterioration of basic market indicators. In particular, the number of employed persons dropped by 11 000 persons, i.e. 2.8% year-to-year. At the same time, there was an increase in the number of persons who were not economically active (1.9%) and unemployed persons (15.4%). This was reflected further by an increase in the unemployment rate (by 0.2 percentage point) and a decrease in the employment rate (by 1.4 percentage points), which means that the percentage of working persons among professionally active persons dropped. The employment rate analysed in terms of basic demographic categories shows that, in general, the pandemic affected mostly young people. In the case of the 15–24 age group, the employment rate dropped by 7.3 percentage points, while in the 25–34 age group by 7.6 percentage points. It may be noted that at the same time an increase in the rate was recorded in older age groups. Gender-based diversification shows that women were in a more difficult situation than men. In the case of women, the rate decreased by 2 percentage points.

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In 2020, 10 400 new jobs were created in the Opolskie Province, the majority of which (as much as 19.6%) were in the construction industry, followed by administrative and support service activities (18.9%) and industry (16.3%). This situation partially translated into the number of job vacancies, most of which were in manufacturing (47.1%), followed by trade (9.3%), and human health and social work activities (9.1%). The occupational groups with the most job vacancies were first and foremost craft and related trades workers (37.4%) as well as plant and machine operators and assemblers (17.2%) and professionals (15.1%).

Throughout 2020, 31 250 job and activation offers were notified to district labour offices. The highest number of offers came from the following sectors: administrative and support service activities (26.7%), manufacturing (20.8%), wholesale and retail trade (8.4%), and construction (11.2%). Some job offers concerned the following occupations: other elementary workers and manufacturing labourers, building caretakers, packers, and operators of automated production lines.

The Occupational Barometer indicates that in 2021 in the Opolskie Province the following occupations will be in demand: medical doctors, ambulance workers, independent accountants, stock clerks, cooks, waiters and bartenders, carpenters and joiners, toolmakers, metalworking machine operators, motor vehicle mechanics, bus drivers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, welders, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, nurses and midwives, spray painters and varnishers, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, physiotherapists and massage therapists, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, accounting and bookkeping clerks, hairdressers, concrete placers and fixers, building workers, pavers, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, construction installation assemblers, bakers, wood treaters and cabinet makers, tailors and garment workers, metal installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, automotive sheet-metal workers, building finishers, financial and accounting clerks with foreign language skills.

At the end of 2020, 24 976 persons were registered at labour offices in the Opolskie Province, while the number of registrations made from January to December was 35 619. Persons working in manufacturing (16.6%) and in wholesale and retail trade (13.4%) had the highest shares in registrations. Most of the registered unemployed persons had the following occupations: sales workers (9.8%), building caretakers (2.2%), toolmakers (2.3%), bricklayers (2.2%) as well as cooks (2%).

The Occupational Barometer for 2021 shows that economists and travel consultants and clerks will be surplus occupations in the region.

The Podkarpackie Province borders Ukraine and Slovakia. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is among the lowest in Poland. The Subcarpathia region has the highest ratio of persons living in rural areas (58.6%) of all provinces. Its agricultural character remains in contrast with the development of its towns and cities. The main city in the region, Rzeszów (196 600 inhabitants), is a trade and services, industry and education hub. An airport in Jasionka functions as a permanent border crossing. The region consists of 21 districts and 4 cities with the rights of urban districts. It covers the area of 17 800 km² and it is inhabited by 2.1 million people. Median age in 2020 was 40.7 years (average for Poland is 41.7 years). The average gross monthly remuneration is one of the lowest in Poland.

As at the end of June 2020, 192 600 businesses were registered there. The main types of business activities included: wholesale and retail trade, construction, manufacturing, as well as professional, scientific and technical activities. Industrial sectors of the region include agri-food, electromechanical and chemical industries. Large plants continue to follow the traditions of the aviation industry.

In 2020, the number of unemployed persons registered at district labour offices increased by 11 871, but already in the first half of 2021 the figure decreased by 6 382. The COVID‑19 pandemic did not cause significant losses in the sectors considered the core of modern high-technology industry or in the energy sector, manufacturing, transportation and trade. So far the SARS-Cov-2 virus had impact only on those sectors which rely on the presence of large groups of people in the same place and at the same time. These include: show business, tourism (hotels, restaurants) and certain services. A measurable effect of the pandemic was a decrease in the number of job offers notified to public district labour offices. In 2020, employers notified 37 090 offers (it was 53 791 in 2019). At the same time, due to temporary restrictions in the movement of workers from Ukraine to Poland, an increased shortage of seasonal workers in agriculture and elementary workers was recorded. The coronavirus did not affect the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry due to non-invasive disinfection and safe distribution of goods applied.

From January to June 2021, the number of notified offers decreased significantly and so did the number of collective redundancies. Usually these happened in companies that manufacture vehicle and aircraft parts, iron casting industry, fertiliser manufacturers and security staff. Usually, the offers notified were not new. These were rather offers received already in 2020.

The province is home to aviation, biotechnological, pharmaceutical, IT (programming) and iron casting businesses. Main employers: Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów S.A., MTU Aero Engines Polska, Hamilton Sundstrand Poland Sp. z o.o. – United Technologies corporation, B&B Trend (former Zelmer), Asseco Poland S.A., ICN Polfa Rzeszów S.A., Greinplast Sp. z o.o., Nestlé Polska S.A. Rzeszów branch, Firma Oponiarska T.C. Dębica S.A.

A significant contribution to the economic development of the region is provided also by business entities operating in Mielec (Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze Sp. z o.o., a subsidiary company of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation) and other cities and towns: Borg Warner Poland Sp. z o.o. (Jasionka), Lear Corporation Poland II Sp. z o.o (Jarosław, Mielec), Kirchhoff Automotive Polska (branch in Mielec), BRW (branch in Mielec), Goodrich Aerospace Poland (Collins Aerospace, Tajęcina, Krosno), Husqvarna Poland (branch in Mielec).

The SEZ subzone operates as the Euro-Park Mielec Rzeszów-Dworzysko. It is located in the vicinity of the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport. Rzeszów-Dworzysko is home to companies active in the aviation, electromechanical (including automotive) and IT industry: OPTeam S.A., ZELNAR Sp. z o.o. (Tajęcina). Entities located in the Tarnobrzeg District include Pilkington Atomotive Poland Sp. z o.o., BK Glass Sp. z o.o., KOMA Stahlbau Sp. z o.o. and Wisan S.A. (Skopanie, https://wisan.pl/) – the best textile manufacturer in Europe (price to value) offering net curtains, tablecloth, fabrics, curtains, runners, table napkins and roller blinds. Other companies include: Uniwheels Production Poland (Stalowa Wola), Sanfarm and Zakłady Metalowe Dezamet (Nowa Dęba), Olimp Laboratories Sp. z o.o. (Dębica), Southco (Tajęcina), CADworks Systems Sp. z o.o. (Jasionka) and BigCom (Rzeszów).

In the first quarter of 2021, the Podkarpackie Province recorded the economic activity rate which was 1% lower (52.8%) than in the first quarter of 2020. The economic activity rate was diversified depending on gender and place of residence (urban or rural area). A higher economic activity rate was recorded among men (62.7% compared to 43.5% among women) and among urban dwellers (55.4% compared to 51.1% among rural dwellers). In the Subcarpathia region, the economic activity rate was lower than in Poland by 4.5 percentage points (16^th position in the country). In the first quarter of 2021, the employment rate in the province was 2.2% lower than in the first quarter of 2020. Standing at 49.5%, it was lower than the national rate by 5.5%.

The registered unemployment rate was 8.5% in June 2021. The unemployment rate was the highest in the following districts: Nisko District (15.4%), Brzozów District (14.5%), Lesko District (14.2%), Leżajsk and Bieszczady Districts (13.5% each), Strzyżów District (13.4%) and Przemyśl District (12.7%). The lowest rate was in Krosno (2.8%), followed by Mielec District (4.8%), Dębica District (4.9%), Stalowa Wola District (5.4%), the city of Rzeszów (5.5%) and Krosno District (6.3%). The same administrative units are always among districts with the highest unemployment level (and the same is true about districts with the lowest unemployment level). This pattern points to systemic reasons for this divergence.

According to the LFS, in the first quarter of 2021, the unemployment rate stood at 6.3% and was 2.3 percentage points higher than in the first quarter of 2020 and 2.3 percentage points higher than the rate for Poland. The rate was 8.1% among women and 4.9% among men.

Apart from large employers, business activity in the Podkarpackie Province is powered by small and medium companies. These are manufacturing, as well as trade and service entities. Business activity other than related to agriculture is concentrated in suburb areas and cities. New, environmentally friendly companies are increasingly often created near the large cities of the region.

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According to the Occupational Barometer (forecast for 2021), medical sector workers are in demand in the Podkarpackie Province (medical doctors, nurses and midwives, physiotherapists and massage therapists, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities). The shortage, however, is not recorded in all medical specialisations as dentists, ambulance workers and pharmacists were not looked for.

Apart from workers of the medical sector, employers most often seek persons from the following occupational groups: concrete placers and finishers, pavers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, civil engineers (construction managers) or construction installation assemblers. The majority of unemployed persons registered at district labour offices are above 30 years old. Given that there is no influx of new workers and large numbers of the best specialists of various age emigrate abroad, a shortage of workers is witnessed. Shortages concern bus drivers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, automotive diagnostic technicians, wood treaters and cabinet makers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics or welders. In the transportation sector, there is a shortage of passenger and cargo transport drivers. A shortage of buyers and suppliers to process orders and to load and unload goods was recorded in four districts.

The highest number of vacancies was witnessed in the fourth quarter of 2020 in the following sections (under the Polish Classification of Activities): manufacturing (31.6% of all offers), construction (15.8%), public administration and defence, compulsory social security (15.8%), and human health and social work activities (10.5%).

Most unemployed persons in the Podkarpackie Province at the end of the first half of 2021 had the following occupations: sales worker (5 946), cook (2 583), toolmaker (1829), economist technician (1 470), building construction labourer (1 443), tailor (1 330), hairdresser (1 195), bricklayer (1180), and building caretaker (1 122).

The professions considered surplus occupations in the highest number of districts in the Podkarpackie Province according to the Occupational Barometer (forecast for 2021) are: economists, travel consultants and clerks, philosophers, historians, political scientists and culture experts, educational counsellors, food and nutrition technology professionals, public administration specialists, sociologists and social/economic survey professionals, lawyers, and farming and forestry advisers.

The demand for employees is shaped not only by the supply, but also by the need to apply low-emission technologies. These include: geothermal power plants, hydrogen or electric powered cars (graphene battery) and interurban communication using magnetic effects (unrivalled in terms of speed – 500 km/h). In the future, the state-of-the-art technologies will be available also for households and this will change the structure of demand for employees. In the context of the new perspective of the European Union, the combination of tourism and high-tech industry will be a significant asset of the Subcarpathia region. In agriculture-oriented districts, electronic industry has a chance to grow due to low emissions and availability of technical school graduates in the region.

The Podlaskie Province is located in the north-east of Poland. It is adjacent to three provinces: Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Mazowieckie and Lubelskie. It forms an internal (in the north-east, with Lithuania) and external (in the east, with Belarus) border of the EU. In terms of ethnicity and culture, it is the most diverse region in Poland. Poles, Belarusians, Tatars, Russians and Jews have lived here side by side for centuries. The region is Poland’s largest centre of members of the Orthodox Church (approximately 300 000).

It covers 6.5% of Poland’s area and is inhabited by 3.1% of the country’s population (1 173 300 inhabitants at the end of 2020). The main urban centres are Białystok (the capital city of the region), Łomża and Suwałki. The Podlaskie Province is characterised by a very low population density (58 persons/km² compared with the national average of 123 persons/km²). In 2020, the population of the province decreased by 0.4%. A persistent negative balance of permanent internal and external migrations (-1.12) and a negative natural population change (-3.45) contributed to that situation.

The Podlaskie Province is one of the least economically developed regions in Poland. Due to its low share in the gross value added (2.2% of the country’s GDP), it scores the 15^th position in Poland. The average GDP per capita in the region is PLN 42 976 (2019), i.e. 72.1% of the national average (13^th position in Poland).

The Podlaskie Province is an agricultural region, The main crops are cereals and potatoes. Agriculture is almost entirely in the private sector. The province’s dairy, poultry and meat products are well-known and appreciated across the country and abroad. Apart from manufacture and processing of food products, the province’s industry is based on manufacture of rubber and plastic products, manufacture of products of wood, cork, straw and wicker, and manufacture of machinery and equipment. These four sectors generate 73.3% of the value of industrial production sold.

At the end of 2020, 109 500 businesses were registered in the Podlaskie Province’s official business register. The vast majority of the businesses belong to the private sector (96.4% of all businesses) and operate in the following sections: trade, repair of motor vehicles (21.6%), construction (15.4%), professional, scientific and technical activities (9.0%), and manufacturing (7.7%).

The following sectors crucial to the development of the province generate the highest number of jobs in the Podlaskie Province: manufacturing, trade, repair of motor vehicles, construction, and transportation and storage. 53% of the total number of persons employed work in these sectors. The largest and most expansive companies in the Podlaskie Province include: Mlekovita Dairy Cooperative (Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Mlekovita) in Wysokie Mazowieckie, Mlekpol Dairy Cooperative (Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Mlekpol) in Grajewo, DANWOOD in Bielsk Podlaski, Barter S.A. in Białystok, Suempol in Bielsk Podlaski, Pronar in Narew, British-American Tobacco Poland in Augustów, MPPB J.W. Ślepsk in Augustów, Dobroplast Window Factory (Dobroplast Fabryka Okien) in Stary Laskowiec, ADAMPOL in Zaścianki, UNIBEP in Bielsk Podlaski, District Dairy Cooperative (Okręgowa Spółdzielnia Mleczarska) in Piątnica, Animex Foods in Suwałki, Rosti Poland in Białystok, SOKOŁÓW S.A. FARM FOOD Group in Czyżew and MALOW in Suwałki. The non-market services sector (public administration and defence, compulsory social security, education, human health and social work activities) also plays an important role on the regional labour market, with over 31% of the total number of persons employed working there.

811 commercial companies with foreign equity only operated in the Podlaskie Province at the end of 2020, an increase of 12% compared with the previous year. The presence of foreign investors in the region, however, mainly concerns the city of Białystok and is still small on the scale of the entire province. It should be noted that manufacturing plants of renowned foreign companies (e.g. IKEA, British American Tobacco PLC) are located in the Podlaskie Province. In turn, international cooperation is focused on the countries neighbouring Poland from the east: Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania. Cooperation with Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, the Russian Federation and Slovakia is also being fostered.

According to the LFS, 487 000 persons aged 15-89 were employed in the Podlaskie Province in the first quarter of 2021, 21 000 persons were unemployed and 370 000 persons were not professionally active. The economic activity rate stood at 57.9%, while the employment rate was 55.5%. Both these rates were lower than the national average by 0.6 and 0.5% respectively.

36 000 persons were registered as unemployed at labour offices at the end of June 2021 and the number of unemployed persons has decreased by 4.9% since the beginning of the year (an increase of 12% in January-June 2020). The registered unemployment rate stood at 7.5% (5.9% for Poland), a decrease of 0.2 percentage point compared with June in the previous year. The highest unemployment rate was recorded in the following districts: Kolno District (13.1%), Sejny District (11.7%) and Grajewo District (11.5%). The lowest rate was recorded in Suwałki District (4.1%), Bielsk Podlaski District (4.4%) and Łomża District (5.1%). The actual unemployment rate (according to the LFS) was lower than the registered unemployment rate, standing at 4.1% (4% for Poland) at the end of the first quarter of 2021.

18 100 unemployed persons have registered at labour offices since the beginning of 2020, a decrease of 15.3% compared with the same period in the previous year. The number of persons excluded from unemployment registers has increased, on the other hand, which was particularly evident in March. A total of 20 000 persons were removed from the registers between January and June 2021, 14.9% more than in the previous year. The number of unemployed persons taking up employment increased. 12 300 unemployed persons were removed from the labour offices’ registers for this reason, namely 26.3% more than in the previous year. The number of job offers notified to labour offices increased. During the first half of 2021, 11 700 job offers were notified to labour offices, i.e. 17.8% more than in the respective period in 2020.

Restrictions in the operation of businesses imposed as a result of the COVID‑19 pandemic negatively affected the situation on the labour market in the Podlaskie Province. In 2020, the number of unemployed persons in the province increased by 4 600 persons, i.e. almost 14%. In many sectors, employers limited recruitment campaigns and some companies made redundancies. Since March 2021, a decrease in the unemployment level and a general improvement of the situation on the labour market have been witnessed. With the majority of restrictions applicable, among others, to food service activities, accommodation or trade being lifted, employers started to look for employees and the number of job offers notified to district labour offices increased and was 16% higher than in the first half of 2020. Some industries may experience issues related to the recovery of staff and the acquisition of appropriate employees. According to the study carried out by the Statistics Poland in June 2021 on the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on economic prosperity, overall economic environment was assessed negatively by entrepreneurs from the majority of the surveyed Podlaskie Province areas. The most pessimistic assessments were expressed by those operating in the field of transportation and storage, retail trade, and information and communication, while the most positive by manufacturing and construction companies. The negative effects of the pandemic most often indicated by respondents were: decrease in sales and revenue, increase of costs and disruptions in the supply chain.

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According to the Statistics Poland survey of labour demand, entities with at least 1 employee had 1 500 vacancies in the Podlaskie Province at the end of 2021. The overwhelming majority, i.e. 86.6%, were jobs in four sections under the Polish Classification of Activities: 40% of all available vacancies were in manufacturing facilities, 20% in trade, repair of motor vehicles, 13.3% in human health and social work activities, and 13.3% in public administration and defence and in compulsory social security. At the end of 2020, the highest number of vacancies were available to craft and related trade workers (25.9%), professionals (18.4%), service and sales workers (15%), elementary workers (10.7%), as well as plant and machine operators and assemblers (10%).

During the first half of 2021, employers notified 11 700 job offers to labour offices, 84.4% of which concerned jobs in the private sector and 15.6% jobs in the public sector. Compared with the first half of 2020, the number of offers notified increased by 17.8%. The highest number of offers were addressed to 7 large occupational groups: elementary workers in mining, manufacturing, construction and transport (11.8% of all job offers), personal service workers (10%), metal, machinery and related trades workers (9.9%), secretaries, operators of office and related equipment (6.9%), building and related trades workers (excluding electricians) (6.8%), mining and processing machinery and equipment operators (6.4%), and sales and related workers (5.6%).

The results of the Occupational Barometer for 2021 show that shortage occupations on the Podlaskie Province’s labour market include: confectionery makers, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, physiotherapists and massage therapists, civil engineers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, cooks, medical doctors, stock clerks, motor vehicle mechanics, vocational training teachers, teachers of vocational subjects, special needs teachers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, bakers, nurses and midwives, road construction workers, building finishers, uniformed services personnel, ambulance workers, building workers, welders and toolmakers.

Shortages of workers are increasingly linked to the lack of jobseekers in the occupation concerned (outflow of workers to other regions and abroad, ageing workforce and lack of generational replacement, unattractive working conditions and remuneration offered, self-employment and the grey market). Jobseekers also often lack appropriate qualifications, valid and complete licences and professional experience, and women and persons employed in low-paid jobs withdraw from the labour market due to social assistance schemes.

Most of the 36 000 unemployed persons registered at labour offices as at the end of June 2021 previously worked in trade, repair of motor vehicles (16.3%), in manufacturing plants (14.9%), and in construction (9.3%). Most unemployed persons represented the following occupational groups: sales workers and related workers (8.6%), personal services workers (7.1%), food processing, woodworking, garment and related trades workers (6.8%), metal, machinery and related trades workers (6.8%), science and engineering associate professionals (6.3%), elementary workers in mining, manufacturing, construction and transport (5.2%), and building and related trades workers (excluding electricians) (5%).

The results of the 2021 Occupational Barometer survey show that economists will remain a surplus occupation on the labour market in the Podlaskie Province. Locally, there will be surplus of jobseekers representing farmers and breeders, food and nutrition professionals, travel consultants and clerks, mechanical engineering technicians and public administration specialists.

The Pomorskie Province is situated by the Baltic Sea. Its surface area is over 18 000 km², which constitutes approx. 6% of Poland’s surface area. The city of Gdańsk is the capital of the region. The province has over 2.3 million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom live in urban areas.

The excellent location of the Pomorskie Province at the crossroads of international transport routes, improving transport accessibility of the region and growing logistics facilities are conducive to international exchange and attractive to foreign investors. The region is characterised by an exceptionally high investment attractiveness. The highest degree of concentration of economic activity is within the Tri-City Metropolitan Area (Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, together with neighbouring districts). There are also many other municipalities and cities attractive to investors, including Słupsk, Tczew, Kwidzyn and Lębork. Companies which have located there include: Scania, E.ON Sverige, Gino Rossi, Curver, Flextronics International, Eaton Trucks, Gemalto, Molex, Tapflo, Alteams and International Paper Kwidzyn.

54 700 persons were registered as unemployed at labour offices at the end of June 2021 (an increase of 2 400 persons, i.e. 4.6%, compared with June 2020). The registered unemployment rate at the end of June 2021 stood at 5.8% (which was 0.3% higher than in the previous year and only 0.1 percentage point lower than the unemployment rate for Poland). 47 800 job vacancies and places of professional activation were notified to labour offices in the province in the first half of 2021 (almost 1/4 less than in the respective period in 2020).

According to the LFS, in the first quarter of 2021 both the economic activity rate and the employment rate for the Pomorskie Province were higher than the rates for Poland, standing at 59.8% (57.3% for Poland) and 58.3% (55% for Poland), respectively, for persons aged 15-89.

The average gross monthly remuneration in the business sector is increasing. In June 2021, it stood at PLN 5 888.32 in the Pomorskie Province (PLN 5 802.42 for Poland), an increase of 10.9% compared with June 2020 and of 1.2% compared with May 2021.

Key sectors

Services, industry and construction are the driving forces behind the Pomerania region’s economy, and two dynamically developing ports, in Gdynia and in Gdańsk, are fostering the development of trade. The main branches of industry in the Pomorskie Province are the shipbuilding, wood and paper, petrochemical and electrical engineering industries. The food industry is also traditionally one of the leading sectors of the region, although agriculture is much less important than other sectors. The ICT (Information and Communication Technology), BSS (Business Service Sector), logistics, biotechnology, electronics and automotive industries have the greatest development potential.

Modern business services (BSS)

Tri-City is one of the best locations for modern business services in Poland. It is home to 158 centres of modern business services, which employ over 30 000 workers. The vast majority of these centres specialise in IT and R&D services (ITO centres) and financial processes. English is the language of business and is used by 141 centres, followed by German.

Modern business services centres operating in Tri-City include:

• centres which are American: State Street, Intel Technology, Sony Pictures, Thomson Reuters, Amazon, Jeppesen, Synopsys, ManpowerGroup, Staples, Airhelp, Acxiom and Quad Graphics;
• Scandinavian: Arla, Kemira, Hempel Paints, Unifeeder, Metsa, Seagul, DNV GL, Nordic Services, Marine Harvest;
• German: Bayer, ThyssenKrupp, Lufthansa Systems, Adva Optical Networking;
• Austrian: Swarovski, Competence Call Center;
• Belgian: Eurofins Digital Testing; Swiss: Luxoft;
• Spanish: Geoban (member of Santander Group);
• French: Sii, Atos, Intitek, Playsoft;
• Dutch: Wolters Kluwer, Goyello, Travactory, Smart4aviation;
• Indian: Wipro, WNS;
• Japanese: FujiFilm, Ricoh.

Maritime sector

Shipbuilding is one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the region’s economy. The offer of Tri-City shipyards covers highly-specialised vessels and installations, such as cable footbridges, heavy lift jack-up vessels and LNG-fuelled vessels, wind towers, Arctic container vessels and exclusive yachts.

The Remontowa Group is one of the largest companies in the sector. Its main activity entails vessel repairs and construction of specialised vessels, such as Arctic container vessels, jack-up vessels or LNG-fuelled vessels. In the recent years the shipyard launched several hybrid ferries that perfectly match current trends in short sea shipping.

Other leading companies are the Crist shipyard (construction of heavy elevators), Energomontaż – Północ Gdynia (EPG), Mostostal Pomorze (construction of steel installations for the maritime sector), Nauta (ship repair services), GSG Tower (wind towers) or Kongsberg Maritime, formerly Rolls Royce (on-board winches, motor maintenance).

The Polish yacht industry is a global leader in the most popular segment of 6 to 9-metre motorboats (in this category Poland ranks the second after the United States). The region is home to many companies, including Sunreef Yachts, Admiral Boats or Conrad Shipyard.

Tri-City is not only a region of manufacturing, but also designing, with numerous companies employing more than 1 000 engineers in total.

World’s leading classification societies, such as DNV GL, Lloyds Register and American Bureau of Shipping, have their offices in Tri-City. More than 200 engineers are employed by the DNV GL office in Gdynia. ICD Poland (belonging to Vard Group) and Kongsberg Maritime (formerly Rolls-Royce Marine Poland) successfully develop their activity in Pomerania. The region is also home to two large research and design centres: Maritime Advanced Research Centre Centrum Projektowo-Badawcze Okrętów S.A. (CTO) and Centrum Techniki Morskiej (CTM).

Logistics sector

With its excellent geographical location, the Pomorskie Province has a unique logistics potential that makes it a transport hub for Central and Eastern Europe. Thanks to two dynamically developing deep-water ports in Gdańsk and Gdynia and constantly expanding logistics facilities, the Pomorskie Province is also growing into a port hub serving all types of cargo and all directions of the world. The main driving force of growth is container handling.

The Pomorskie Province offers a well-developed and constantly expanded logistics base as well. The 110-hectare area in the vicinity of DCT Gdańsk is home to Pomeranian Logistics Centre (PCL), which follows the idea of Port Centric Logistics thanks to its location near the container terminal. In Port Gdynia, in turn, there is Logistics Centre adjusted to the needs of supply and distribution operators, forwarding companies, companies providing storage services and other logistics-related service providers.

Road and rail infrastructure is developing intensively as well, including along the axis of the Baltic-Adriatic transport corridor, serving imports and exports to and from Poland and other countries in the north and south of Europe.

ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector

A total of 129 companies employing at least 10 persons operate in the sector. More than 25 000 developers work currently in Pomerania, mainly in Tri-City, and they are employed in product companies (Boeing, Hapag-Lloyd, Nodea), outsourcing companies (Sii, EPAM, Ciklum, Kainos, Cognizant, Wipro) or in in-house IT departments of Shared Services Centres (Maersk Drilling, Staples, DNV GL). In terms of processes, software development and related R&D activities dominate, followed by IT support, application administration and infrastructure management. The largest company is Intel, which currently employs about 2 500 persons. It is followed by outsourcing companies, the largest of which is the French Sii, the second largest employer in the IT sector in northern Poland, employing 860 persons.

Biotechnology and light chemicals sector

Many companies operate in the sector, specialising in molecular biology (A&A Biotechnology, EURx), medical devices used in oncology, infectious diseases and transplantology (Blirt), cosmetics (Ziaja, Oceanic, Farmix Pharmaceutical Laboratory [Farmix Laboratorium Farmaceutyczne], Femi Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Laboratory [Laboratorium Farmaceutyczno-Kosmetyczne Femi], Inventia), laboratory diagnostics (Invicta), microbiological tests (J.S. Hamilton Poland), pharmacy (Labofarm, Polpharma, Profarm), detergents (Impuls).

Large heavy chemistry companies operate in the Pomerania region as well, the example being Lotos Group (which will soon merge with Orlen to form a leading oil company in the Central and Eastern Europe). The entire Lotos Group employs approximately 5 000 professionals. In its refinery in Gdańsk, the company manufactures fuels, industrial greases and oils.

Other significant activities in the chemical industry carried out in Pomerania include, among others, manufacturing of fertilisers (Fosfory in Gdańsk) and plastics (Fabryka Plastików in Kwidzyn).

Automotive sector

Thanks to its high potential (qualified employees and seaside location with sea freight available), the region is becoming a key area for the Polish automotive sector in terms of electromobility and solutions for self-driving cars.

As for electromobiity, a flagship investment project is Northvolt, a manufacturer of batteries for electric cars and mining vehicles. Currently, it produces batteries for industrial equipment in Gdańsk. A new facility of Northvolt, which will become operative in 2023, will be situated within the Pomerania Investment Centre, next to the DCT container terminal, and it is to employ as much as 500 persons.

Pomerania plays also a significant role in providing solutions for self-driving cars. Intel, Aptiv and Nippon Seiki Europe are active in this field in Gdańsk.

Intel’s R&D Centre in Gdańsk employs approximately 2 500 programmers. It is the largest corporate R&D centre in Europe and the second largest centre in the world. In its facility in Gdańsk, Intel together with other companies develop, among others, data processing solutions used in self-driving vehicles.

Aptiv, in turn, creates active safety systems which help minimise or entirely eliminate human errors in driving, and consequently limit their consequences. Approximately 1 000 people are currently employed in its facility in Gdańsk.

Other key investors from the automotive industry include: Nippon Seiki Europe, Eaton – located in Tczew and manufacturing transmissions for gearboxes, drivetrain components and combustion engine compressors. It is also worth noting that Eaton carries out research and development activities in Tczew, where its modern Eaton Engineering Centre, which employs approximately 40 engineers, is located. The main tasks of the Centre include providing on-going support to Eaton Truck Components and implementing R&D projects for Eaton Truck and Eaton Automotive Groups.

When describing the automotive industry in Pomerania, it is impossible not to mention such companies as AQ, bus manufacturer Wiring Sytems Scania in Słupsk, Zoeller Tech or Federal Mogul.

Electronics

The Pomorskie Province is a leading electronics production centre in Poland. The largest electronics companies in the world have invested here, with recent years seeing significant reinvestments. Approximately 20 000 persons are currently employed in the sector. The first large facility which was located in Pomerania was Radmor – the electronic device manufacturer, mainly for the military sector. Other large companies in this industry include: Flex, Lacroix, Jabil, Panlink Poland, Gemalto, Gerdins Cable Systems, Orbit One). Companies with Polish equity include, among others, Siled and Assel.

The impact of the COVID‑19 epidemic on the labour market in the Pomorskie Province

Poland was one of the countries that very quickly and actively used all available means to prevent the virus, and the Pomorskie Province is one of the regions least affected by the pandemic in Poland.

The employment agencies market was the first to experience a decline in labour demand when the coronavirus pandemic struck. In the wake of the economic downturn, employers first began to lay off temporary workers. Despite the difficulties, 58% of employment agencies in the Pomorskie Province continue to recruit jobseekers in manufacturing industries, construction, processing, services, logistics, shipping and trade. Temporary work is seen as a good alternative and sometimes the only solution for companies which are currently making short-term plans. It lets undertakings be flexible in terms of organisational arrangements and costs.

Due to the pandemic, development plans in the BSS sector were put aside as enterprises entered into an emergency mode: lockdown. Nevertheless, none of confirmed investments were withdrawn. From among the major business sectors, the BSS industry saw relatively least significant reductions in employment. As a matter of fact, 86% of the largest employers in the industry confirmed that they did not stop recruitment. In the long term, there may be problems caused by changes in global markets. Job cuts are possible, but without permanent negative consequences on a large scale. This is mainly due to the fact that the shared services sector is robust and supports industries such as IT, finance, security, HR and many others.

Results of a survey on the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the economic situation

In June 2021 the assessment of general economic situation made by the undertakings in the Pomorskie Province was less favourable than in the preceding month. In most sectors sentiment is less positive than a month earlier, with improvement recorded in this regard only in wholesale trade and the highest drop in optimism in the information and communication section. In all classes of business activity, sentiments are, however, better than a year before.

Forms of work: persons employed in services and wholesale trade most frequently worked remotely or in similar ways.

As at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, 10.3% of employees in the private sector and 16.2% of employees in the public sector worked remotely.

Leave: construction and retail trade companies were most affected by unplanned absences of workers who took leave or took care of children or family members.

Contracts: undertakings projected a decrease in contracts, on the side of both suppliers and customers.

Payments: undertakings engaged in retail trade, construction and manufacturing most frequently declared minor payment backlogs.Retail trade was most affected by such difficulties, threatening business stability (3.3%).

Maritime industry: the pandemic affected the overall performance of Polish sea ports. Their cargo turnover in 2020 was 88.5 million tonnes, i.e. 5.7% less than in 2019. Decreased figures when compared to 2019 were recorded, among others, in Gdańsk (by 10.9%), while an increase was recorded in Gdynia (by 3.3%).

Port in Gdańsk had the largest share in national turnover in 2020, accounting for 45.9% of the total cargo turnover. The share of the port in Gdynia was 24%.

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47 800 job vacancies and places of professional activation were notified to labour offices in the first half of 2021.

The ‘Labour Demand’ survey by Statistics Poland shows that undertakings in the Pomorskie Province had 5 800 job vacancies at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020. Most of them were jobs in medium and large companies and in microenterprises. District labour offices in the Pomorskie Province had 2 500 job offers at their disposal in the same period.

The largest number of jobs were notified by employers from the following sections of the Polish Classification of Activities: manufacturing – 27.6% of all job offers, construction – 22.4%, and transportation and storage – 13.8%.

The largest demand notified by employers in the first half of 2021 concerned elementary workers, including manufacturing labourers, hand packers, fish processing workers, as well as building construction labourers and processing industry labourers.

The survey carried out in 2020 in the whole Pomorskie Province identified 46 shortage occupational groups, with the largest shortage seen in the case of: heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, nurses and midwives, building finishers, bus drivers, medical doctors, stock clerks, bricklayers and plasterers, metalworking machine operators, building workers or welders.

Building occupations have the largest share in this group: there are 9 of them. The most demanded are mainly building finishers, bricklayers and plasterers, building workers and construction installation assemblers.

Due to a significant concentration of many companies within its boundaries, including companies with foreign equity, Tri-City (i.e. Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot) is characterised by a highly diversified labour market. IT professionals, such as database designers and administrators and software developers, are in high demand in this area. As new companies are emerging and the existing ones are being developed, there is growing demand for suitably qualified workers with foreign language skills and experience in this industry. These are primarily financial and accounting clerks with foreign language skills (for the growing BPO/SSC industry) and public administration professionals.

Due to the constant development of the logistics and transshipment industries, Tri-City is facing noticeable shortages of workers with the following occupations: forwarding agents and supply and distribution agents, and buyers and suppliers.

Shortages of occupations in the Pomorskie Province are most frequently caused by:

• on jobseekers’ side: lack of required qualifications, lack of experience, lack of necessary licences and a general unwillingness to work in a specific occupation;
• on the side of conditions of employment offered by employers: low remuneration, hard and difficult working conditions and frequently required high availability.

There are employment agencies in the Pomorskie Province. 625 of them were registered in 2020 and recruited almost 43 000 persons as part of temporary employment and job placement services in Poland. The largest number of people took up employment as: stock clerks (7 047 persons), labourers (of various type) (6 987 persons). All employment agencies operating in Poland are required to be entered in the register of employment agencies, as confirmed by a certificate.

34 300 unemployed persons were registered at labour offices in the period from January to June 2021. The largest number of unemployed persons registered at the time were from the following occupational groups: sales worker – 3 300 persons, cook – 900 persons, toolmaker – 600 persons, as well as hairdresser, building construction labourer and building caretaker – 500 persons in each of the categories.

The Occupational Barometer for 2021 indicates that there are two surplus occupational groups: economists and travel consultants and clerks. Popularity of university programmes in economics results in a high influx of economics technical school and university graduates, while the demand for such employees is limited. Too broad competences and lack of experience among economics graduates also make employers less likely to reach out for these human resources. The surplus of travel consultants is mainly caused by too high a number of graduates entering the labour market and insufficient foreign language skills among candidates. The situation of travel consultants and clerks was further negatively affected by the COVID‑19 pandemic. The restrictions imposed prevented employers from seeking employees belonging to this occupational group or even led to cuts in employment.

The surface area of the Śląskie Province (Silesia) is 12 300 km². It has a population of 4.5 million. Silesia is the 14^th largest region in Poland in terms of surface area and it has the second highest number of inhabitants. The province’s population density is the highest in the country with 364 persons per 1 km². There are as many as 71 cities and towns with a total of 3.4 million inhabitants. The province’s capital is the city of Katowice (291 000 inhabitants). Other major agglomerations include: Częstochowa, Sosnowiec, Gliwice, Zabrze, Bytom, Bielsko-Biała, Ruda Śląska, Rybnik, Tychy, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Chorzów. Rural areas are located mainly in the Częstochowa and Bielsko subregions.

The Śląskie Province is the most industrialised province in Poland and one of the most industrialised areas in Europe. A total of 494 300 companies are located there. The coal sector and the steel sector continue to play an important role in the province’s economy. The power, motor, textile and chemical industries also have a significant position in the province.

Apart from its high position in industry, the province also has a well-developed tourist sector. There are many winter sports centres, tourist bases, sanatoria and boarding houses in the south – in the Beskid Śląski and Beskid Żywiecki areas. They offer employment in hotel and food services. The Śląskie Province is also an important educational centre with 30 higher education institutions.

In the fourth quarter of 2020 the economic activity rate was 53.6%. The employment rate in the same period was 51.9%, an increase of 0.8 percentage point compared with the fourth quarter of the previous year.

Year 2020 was the year of the COVID‑19 pandemic, which affected social life and economy in a manner that is visible also in the statistics concerning registered unemployment. In the Śląskie Province it was the first year in six years with an increase in unemployment and unemployment growth trend. The unemployment level increased both year-to-year, i.e. when compared to 2019, and in consecutive months. This situation was caused by restrictions imposed and lockdowns of specific sectors not only in Poland, but also in Europe and all over the world. The industries affected the most in the Śląskie Province included: Accommodation and food service activities, Construction, Transportation and storage and Manufacturing, while among the least affected there were: Information and communication and Financial and insurance activities. Protective actions of the government in a form of the so-called anti-crisis shield were partially successful as, on the one hand, they certainly prevented economic crisis (at least during the first wave of the pandemic), but on the other hand, they failed to stop the increase in unemployment and economic regression, in particular in the Accommodation and food service activities section.

In 2020, district labour offices of the Śląskie Province registered 131 600 persons, i.e. 12 400 less than a year before, a decrease of 8.6% (in 2019 it was 144 000 persons). Traditional changes in the inflow of unemployed persons caused by the seasonality of work in agriculture or construction, among others, were distorted in 2020 due to the COVID‑19 outbreak.

From January to December 2020, 107 100 unemployed persons were struck off the registers, which was 50 500 less than a year before (-32%; in 2019 it was 157 500 persons). Such low level of the outflow of unemployed persons was caused by subsequent pandemic waves and related restrictions.

From September to December 2020, the Provincial Labour Office in Katowice carried out a survey on the opinion of business owners from the Śląskie Province about the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on the situation of their companies in 2021. The study was entitled: Social and economic aspects of the situation on the Śląskie Province labour market in 2021 according to business owners. A vast majority of respondents (76%) perceived the consequences of the COVID‑19 pandemic as negative for the functioning of undertakings in 2021, while according to one in five business owners (20%), the pandemic would not affect the operations of their company. Only 4% of respondents declared that the current situation was positive for their company’s forecast for 2021. The larger the company, the slightly less negative was the perception of pandemic consequences for the company (from 77% in microenterprises to 67% in medium-seized enterprises), with the most pessimistic views expressed in this regard by business owners representing the agricultural sector (98%).

As at June 2021, 89 100 unemployed persons were registered at labour offices, and the registered unemployment rate in the Śląskie Province at the end of June 2020 was 4.8%. The unemployment rate in the region varies greatly from territory to territory. In Katowice the unemployment rate was 1.9%. In Bytom, by contrast, the level of this rate reached 9.6%. Due to restrictions imposed in relation to the Sars-Cov-2 spread in the first half of 2021, the number of job offers notified within the EURES network decreased. Existing offers came from employers interested in finding candidates in Czechia for the following positions: manufacturing workers in the automotive industry and heavy truck mechanics and repairers. Polish employers used the EURES network to look for stock clerks and car glass assemblers.

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Over 124 200 job vacancies and places of professional activation were notified to labour offices in the Śląskie Province in 2020. Most of the vacancies were from the following sections: administrative and support service activities (40 100), manufacturing (26 500) and construction (12 800). Given professions and specialisations (within broad groups), the highest number of job offers notified concerned: elementary workers (34.8% of vacancies), craft and related trade workers (19.8%) and plant and machine operators and assemblers (16.8%). The lowest number of vacancies and places of professional activation was addressed to chief executives, senior officials and managers (0.5%), as well as agricultural, garden, forestry and fishery workers (1.6%).

According to the labour demand survey, at the end of the fourth quarter 2020 the sections with job vacancies were as follows: manufacturing (20.5% of all vacancies in the province), construction (13.3%), wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, and human health and social work activities (12% each), transportation and storage (10.8%), and information and communication (7.2%).

In 2020, most unemployed persons registered at labour offices represented the following sections: manufacturing (16.1% of all unemployed persons), wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (15.9%), administrative and support service activities (8.5%), construction (7.2%), and other service activities (6.6%).

Most of the unemployed persons registered in 2020 had the following occupations: sales workers, cooks, building construction labourers, stock clerks, toolmakers, hairdressers, other general office clerks, economics technicians, building caretakers, tailors, motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, office cleaners, office clerks, waiters and underground miners.

The Occupational Barometer survey for 2021 identified 33 shortage occupations in the Śląskie Province. These are, among others, building finishers, bricklayers and plasterers, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, nurses and midwives, and welders. No surplus occupations were projected for 2021 in the Śląskie Province.

The Świętokrzyskie Province, one of the smallest in Poland, is located in the central-southern part of the country. It has an area of 11 700 km², which constitutes 3.7% of the area of Poland. At the end of 2020, it was inhabited by 1 224 626 persons; i.e. 9 335 (0.8%) less than at the end of 2019. Women form the majority of the population (51.3%), and the share of persons living in rural areas is also higher (54.6%). 59.4% of the province’s inhabitants are of working age. The share of this group is decreasing every year and so is the share of children and young people under 17 (16.5%). An increase is recorded, however, in the share of the post-production age group (24.1%). The process of population ageing is faster than in other regions. The Świętokrzyskie Province witnesses the most dynamic decrease in population in the country, which is caused by the highest natural population drop (-6.4‰) and one of the highest net migration rates (-1.6‰). The migration drop often concerns young people and people of prime working age who move to bigger economic centres to start education or take up employment and who stay there. Low birth rates and the outflow of the age groups that are important for the functioning of the labour market significantly weaken the development potential of the region.

As at the end of 2020, 120 062 national economy entities were entered in the REGON register of the Świętokrzyskie Province, i.e. 2.6% of all such entities existing in the country (14^th position among 16 provinces). The number increased over a year by 3 569 (3.1%). The increase was witnessed only thanks to small entities (up to 9 employees), which account for a majority of all entities (96.1%), as 3 700 of them were added (a year before it was almost 3 000), while the numbers of entities representing other classes were lower.

Non-economic factors relating to the prevention of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic spread resulted in significant restrictions in business activity in many sectors of the economy. The most difficult situation was experienced in tourism, hotel industry, food service activities, passenger transport, beauty industry, and culture and entertainment industry. Some companies were forced to suspend their activities and in 2020 there were on average 12 200 such entities in the register. The financial assistance provided by the government to the entities affected by the impact of the pandemic made it possible to limit the number of entities removed from the register. In 2020, 4 600 entities were removed from the REGON register, namely almost ¼ less than in 2019. The number of newly created entities was lower (by 9.8%), but it was still 8 500, and this significantly exceeded the number of removals. In the first half of 2021, almost 5 000 companies were registered, while 2 600 were removed from the register. This resulted in an overall growth in the number of entities in the region (by 2 200).

The profile of business activity in the Świętokrzyskie Province is usually trade and repair of motor vehicles (26.2% of all entities), construction (15.3%), and manufacturing (9%). Companies active in these fields account for more than a half of all entities in the province. Industrial activities are of paramount importance for the region’s economy. Main industrial sectors in the Świętokrzyskie Province include: metal and machinery industry (Skarżysko-Kamienna, Starachowice, Kielce, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Końskie), building materials industry (Kielce, Pińczów, Małogoszcz, Ożarów, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski), ceramic industry (Końskie, Ćmielów), steel industry (Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski), energy sector (Połaniec). It should be emphasised that the province industry was shaped by the availability of rock materials and energy resources located in the Świętokrzyskie region. An important part of the province economy is also agriculture (field vegetable, horticulture and bush cultivation), which is a foundation for the developing food processing industry.

The largest companies of the Świętokrzyskie Province are: PSB Handel Group with the registered office in Wełecz near Busko Zdrój (trade in building materials, ‘Mrówka’ and ‘Mini Mrówka’ stores), Celsa Huta Ostrowiec with the registered office in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Enea Elektrownia Połoniec in Zawada near Połaniec (energy production), MAN BUS in Starachowice (manufacturing of heavy vehicles and buses), NSG Group in Poland in Sandomierz (manufacturer of car glasses and Pilkington glass for commercial applications), Cersanit with the registered office in Kielce (bathroom ceramic tiles), Lafarge Cement in Małogoszcz (cement manufacture), Kolporter with the registered office in Kielce (press distribution), Echo Investment Capital Group (investment and construction development services), Barlinek Capital Group in Kielce (manufacturing of wooden floors), Frega Frejowski, Garbol in Kielce (wholesale trade), NSK Bearings Poland in Kielce (manufacturing of vehicle parts), ZPUE Capital Group in Włoszczowa (manufacturing of electroenergetic devices), Mesko in Skarżysko-Kamienna (manufacturing of weapons and ammunition), Dyckerhoff Polska in Sitkówka-Nowiny (manufacturing of cement), District Dairy Cooperative in Włoszczowa (milk processing), Kerry Polska with the registered office in Kielce (food processing), Bimerg in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (steel processing, manufacturing of metal roofing tiles and other roofings), Alma Alpinex in Piekoszów (food warehouse), Vive Textile Recycling, Vive Group logistics centre in Kielce, Trzuskawica in Sitkówka-Nowiny (manufacturing of building materials), Ekoplon in Grabki Duże (manufacturer of animal feed and fertilisers).

The largest employers in the region among the companies mentioned above are: Cersanit (approximately 7 800 employees), NSG Group in Poland (approximately 4 200 employees) and MAN BUS (approximately 2 700 employees).

The economic activity rate among the inhabitants of the Świętokrzyskie Province in the fourth quarter of 2020 stood at 55.1%, i.e. 1.6 percentage points above the level in the precedent year. As for division by sex, the recorded economic activity rate was still significantly higher for men – 64.3% against 46.3% for women. The higher activity level was recorded among rural dwellers (56.9%) than city dwellers (52.8%). The following age groups had the highest activity levels: 35–44 age group and 45–54 age group (in both cases the economic activity rate was 87.9%) and 25–34 (82.8%). Large differences in economic activity levels depending on education are still witnessed. The highest economic activity levels are recorded among people with a higher education degree (79.2%).

In 2020, registered unemployment in the region increased by 2 800 persons to the level of 44 881, i.e. by 6.8%. This was the lowest percentage growth in the country. In the first half of 2021, in all months except for January, the number of unemployed persons decreased and at the end of June 41 832 persons were unemployed (almost 4 000 less than a year before). The registered unemployment rate in June 2021 stood at 7.9% (a decrease by 0.7 percentage point over a year). The variation of the rate among various districts of the Świętokrzyskie Province was 12.4 percentage points. The lowest rate was recorded in Busko District (3.8%) and the highest in Skarżysko District (16.2%). In other districts the unemployment rates were as follows: City of Kielce - 5.5%, Pińczów District - 6.3%, Staszów District - 6.5%, Włoszczowa District - 6.6%, Jędrzejów District - 6.8%, Sandomierz District - 7%, Kazimierz District - 7.3%, Starachowice District - 8.5%, Kielce District - 9%, Ostrów District - 10.6%, Końskie District - 11.4%, and Opatów District (12.2%).

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In 2020, as a result of deterioration of economic conditions in enterprises caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic, demand for labourers was significantly lower. The labour demand survey carried out by the Statistics Poland shows that the number of vacancies declared by business entities in the Świętokrzyskie Province indicated the highest disproportion in comparison with the corresponding periods of the previous year in the second and third quarters (lower by 42.6% and 56.6% respectively). This was caused by the developing pandemic in the spring and by the particularly difficult situation of the entities which rely on seasonal activity in the summer. The recent months witnessed, as every year, a further drop in the number of vacancies. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, the entities surveyed had 1 400 vacancies, i.e. 32.3% less than in the previous year. In terms of line of business, manufacturing entities prevailed, accounting for 44.6% of total vacancies. Many vacancies were recorded also in the entities active in the construction section - 22.1% and in the trade, repair of motor vehicles section - 8.4%. These sections accounted jointly for 3/4 of all vacancies. The largest number of vacancies were available for craft and related trades workers (46.8%), followed by plant and machine operators and assemblers (19.6%), professionals (10.9%), and service and sales workers (8.1%).

Throughout 2020, 8 200 new jobs were created in the Świętokrzyskie Province (41.1% less than in the previous year) and 7 000 jobs were lost (7.2% less than in the previous year).

The highest number of new jobs were created in:

In comparison to 2019, the largest decrease in the number of newly created jobs was witnessed in the following sections: transportation and storage (by 81.8%), financial and insurance activities (78.2%), and accommodation and food service industry (by 72.1%). The highest increase (almost three-fold) was recorded in entities from the professional, scientific and technical activity section and the information and communication section (almost two-fold).

According to the Occupational Barometer for 2021, an annual forecast carried out by provincial and district labour offices, even in such unforeseeable conditions as witnessed in the previous year and currently, there are certain industries and occupations that are resistant to the impact of the crisis caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic. Even though labour shortage witnessed in recent years has weakened, employers still struggle to find employees with adequate qualifications. As shown by the latest edition of the survey, labour shortage in the region is forecast for 23 occupations. Within the structure of demand broken into occupational groups, the share of shortage occupations decreased from 17.5% in 2020 to 14.6% in 2021 (the first decrease since 2015, i.e. since the survey was carried out in the Świętokrzyskie Province). The most problematic are the vacancies in construction (concrete placers and finishers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, road work labourers, building finishers, building workers, wood treaters and cabinet makers), medical and care industry (medical doctors, nurses and midwives, carers of older persons and persons with disabilities, physiotherapists and massage therapists), metal processing industry (welders, toolmakers, metalworking machine operators), food service and food industry (cooks, bakers), transportation (heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers), electromechanic industry (electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers), hairdressing services, and finances (independent accountants). Surplus, as in the two previous editions, is forecast in 7 groups, i.e. economists, philosophers, historians, political scientists and culture experts, educational counsellors, administrative and clerical support workers, travel consultants and clerks, public administration professionals, and food and nutrition technology professionals.

The analysis of job offers and places of professional activation notified to district labour offices of the Świętokrzyskie Province showed a decrease by almost one-third in demand for employees in 2020. Employment needs among employers increased or decreased throughout a year proportionally to the level of economic lockdown. It is clear in 2021 that the economy recovers from the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic. In the first half of 2021, employers notified 14 119 job offers to district labour offices of the Świętokrzyskie Province, which was 3 900 more than in the corresponding period of 2020, a significant increase of 38%.

The occupational structure of the job offers notified reflects the economic profile of the region. Most demanded were: craft and related trade workers (22% of all offers in the first half of 2021), service and sales workers (19.7%), and elementary workers (18.7%). An increase in demand was recorded in almost all occupational groups when compared to the first half of 2020 (except for agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fishery workers). The number of job offers increased significantly in the case of: elementary workers (by 58.3%), plant and machine operators and assemblers (by 52.8%), and craft and related trade workers (by 41.3%).

As at the end of December 2020, the registers of labour offices in the Świętokrzyskie Province included 38 336 persons who were previously employed. Before being registered, these persons were usually employed by entities from the following sections: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles (17.3%), manufacturing (16.6%), construction (9.8%), other service activities (7.1%), public administration and defence (5.5%), administrative and support service activities (5.2%), as well as accommodation and food service activities (3.5%).

As at the end of June 2021, a group of unemployed persons who had previously been employed included 35 683 persons, a decrease by 2 700 when compared to December 2020. The figure decreased by 3 900, i.e. almost 10%, over a year.

The highest number of jobseekers broken into occupations were among: sales workers (3 158), cooks (1 151), economics technicians (982), toolmakers (815), building caretakers (809), hairdressers (782), bricklayers (667), building construction labourers (639), mechanical engineering technicians (629), and tailors (618).

The Warmińsko-Mazurskie (Varmia-Masuria) Region is located in the north-eastern part of Poland. Thanks to its outstanding natural features it is considered one of Poland's most beautiful regions. The capital of the region: Olsztyn (over 173 000 inhabitants), other cities: Elbląg (nearly 120 900 inhabitants), Ełk (61 500 inhabitants). 31.4% of the province’s area is covered by forests, 6% by waters and 46.3% by farmlands. With an area of over 24 000 km², Warmińsko-Mazurskie is Poland’s fourth largest province.

At the end of 2020, the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province had 1 416 495 inhabitants, a decrease of 6 242 persons compared with the previous year. The province’s population represented 3.7% of the total population of Poland. The population density was 59 persons per 1 km² (last but one for the country). 59.2% of the province’s population lived in cities. Women slightly outnumbered men in the total population at the end of 2020 (51.1%). 2020 saw a negative natural population change in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province, standing at -4 647. The natural rate of increase in 2020 stood at -3.2%.

The leading sectors in the province’s economy are: tourism, healthy food production, timber industry, machinery and equipment production with the use of clean industrial technologies and renewable energy sources, ecological forestry, yacht manufacture, and ecotourism. The following areas are considered to be of key importance to the region’s development: food industry focused on the production of high-quality food, furniture and timber industries, and water economy, seeking to make use of the region’s water resources, such as lakes and rivers and the Vistula Lagoon, for business purposes.

According to data as at the end of the first half of 2021, 138 669 national economy entities were registered in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province, 96.1% of which were private sector entities. Most of the entities are registered in the following sections: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (17.9%), construction (14.6%), real estate activities (9.1%), and other service activities (8.3%).

Michelin Polska Sp. z o.o. (manufacture of tyres) is the biggest employer with over 4 813 workers. Other major employers in the region: the University of Warmia and Mazury (Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski) in Olsztyn, which employs 2 800 persons, Wipasz S.A. (manufacture of prepared feeds for farm animals) – 1 608 persons employed, the Provincial Polyclinic Hospital (Wojewódzki Szpital Zespolony) in Elbląg – 1 500 persons employed, BRW COMFORT Sp. z o.o. (manufacture of furniture) – 1 465 persons, Meble Wójcik Sp. z o.o. (manufacture of other furniture) – 1 450 persons, Szynaka Meble Sp. z o.o. (manufacture of furniture) – 1 388 persons, DBK Sp. z o.o. (wholesale and retail sale of other motor vehicles, excluding motorcycles) – 1 317 persons, Fiege E-com North Sp. z o.o. (other warehousing and storage services) – 1 244 persons, DFM Sp. z o.o. (manufacture of other furniture) – 1 210 persons, Zakłady Produkcyjno-Usługowe Prawda Sp. z o.o. (manufacture of other furniture) – 1 200 workers, CITI (retail banking services (…)) – 1 100 persons, Warmia S.A. (manufacture of other outerwear) – 1 057 persons, Ostróda Yacht Sp. z o.o. (building of pleasure and sporting boats) – 1 000 persons, Martex Ochrona Mienia i Osób Sp. z o.o. (security systems service activities) – 1 000 persons, and INDYKPOL SA (processing and preserving of poultry meat) – 1 000 persons.

The market situation, also in the first half of 2021, was shaped by the COVID‑19 pandemic. When compared to the corresponding period of 2020, however, the situation has improved significantly. At the end of the first half of 2021, there were 46 300 unemployed persons in the region. Compared with June 2020, unemployment in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province decreased by 6 628 persons, i.e. by 12.5%.

The unemployment rate in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province at the end of June 2021 stood at 9.2%, while the national rate was 5.9%. Compared with the previous year, the unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percentage point in the country and by 1.2 percentage points in the region. The unemployment rate according to the LFS at the end of the first quarter of 2021 was 3.4% in the province, while for the country it was 4.0%.

The economic activity rate in the first quarter of 2021 was 54.4% in the region, with 57.3% recorded at the national level. The employment rate in the first quarter of 2021 stood at 52.5% in the region and 55.0% in Poland. Due to changes in research methodology, it is impossible to compare these data with the data from previous years.

Undertakings facing difficulties still receive additional forms of support as part of the ‘Anti-Crisis Shield’ administered by staff from provincial and district labour offices. Contracts for nearly PLN 390 million from the Guaranteed Employee Benefits Fund’s (administered by the provincial labour office) were concluded by the end of June 2021. Over PLN 320 million has already been paid. Nearly 97 000 jobs were protected in this way. District labour offices paid over PLN 550 million by the end of June, which made it possible to protect over 118 000 jobs.

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The labour demand survey shows that the highest number of jobs in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020 were offered in the following sections: ‘manufacturing’ (37.5% of all offers), ‘public administration and defence, compulsory social security’, ‘construction’ and ‘human health and social work activities’ (12.5% each). 18.9% of all offers were available in the remaining sections.

As at the end of June 2021, 26 475 job offers were notified to labour offices. When compared to the same period of 2020, when large decreases were recorded in the analysed category, the number of offers increased by nearly 27%.

Surveys of demand for workers in specific occupations show that there are 22 shortage occupations in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province and these are: concrete placers and finishers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers, bus drivers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, cooks, medical doctors, stock clerks, motor vehicle mechanics and repairers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, teachers of vocational subjects, earthmoving plant operators and mechanics, carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, nurses and midwives, building finishers, building workers, wood treaters and cabinet-makers, independent accountants, welders, and toolmakers.

26 086 persons who had previously been employed were registered at labour offices in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province as at the end of June 2021, It was a decrease by 5 416 persons (i.e. 17.2%) compared with the end of June 2020.

The Occupational Barometer survey showed that, as in the previous year, economists would be a surplus occupation in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province in 2021.

The Wielkopolskie Province (Greater Poland) is located in the central-western part of Poland and is the second largest province in the country. It is inhabited by over 3.49 million persons. The largest settlement unit is the agglomeration of Poznań. Poznań has a population of approx. 532 000, which constitutes 15.2% of the population of the region. The Greater Poland is an important Polish region both in terms of infrastructure and because of its balanced economic development, characterised by considerable industrialisation, high technological level and attractiveness for investors. The Wielkopolskie Region is also an important educational centre and its scientific potential is mainly concentrated in Poznań.

The Greater Poland ranks as one of the country’s leaders in the number of registered companies. Most companies operate in the following industries: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles; manufacturing; construction; professional, scientific and technical activities; and real estate services.

Investments in the following special economic zones (SSE) were possible by 30 June 2018: Kamiennogórska (Ostrów Wlkp., Odolanów), Kostrzyńsko-Słubicka (Buk, Nowy Tomyśl, Przemęt, Stęszew, Swarzędz, Wronki, Krobia, Śmigiel, Wągrowiec), Łódzka (Koło, Nowe Skalmierzyce, Opatówek, Ostrzeszów, Przykona, Turek, Słupca, Kalisz), Pomorska (Piła), Wałbrzyska (Jarocin, Kościan, Krotoszyn, Leszno, Rawicz, Śrem, Września, Kalisz) and Słupska (Rogoźno). The following sectors dominate in the subzones of the Wielkopolskie SSE: metal production, manufacturing, paper and printing, medical, automotive, transport service and logistics. Since 30 June 2018, the entire territory of Poland has been a special economic zone.

Currently, there are over 6 000 commercial companies with foreign equity participation in the Wielkopolskie Province, most of them in the following sectors: food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, transport, manufacture and repair of machinery and equipment, logistics, and finance and trade. Foreign equity comes, among others, from Germany, the United Kingdom, USA, France, Japan, Ireland, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands. Foreign investors include: Volkswagen, Bridgestone, GlaxoSmithKline, Jeronimo Martins, Beiersdorf, Franklin Templeton, MAN Accounting Services Centre (Centrum Usług Księgowych MAN), Amazon, Unilever and Exide.

The Wielkopolskie Province has the lowest unemployment rate in Poland. 57 736 persons were registered as unemployed in the province in June 2021, a decrease of almost 3.7% compared with the corresponding period in the previous year. The registered unemployment rate in the Wielkopolskie Province is 3.5%, while the unemployment rate for Poland is 5.9%. The highest unemployment rate was recorded in Konin District – 8.2% (with 9.2% in Konin District (rural district) and 7% in the City of Konin (urban district)), while the lowest unemployment rate was in Kępno District – 1.8%, Poznań District – 2%, and Wolsztyn District – 2.2%.

In the first quarter of 2021, the province’s unemployment rate according to the LFS was 2%. The unemployment rate was 2% for men and 1.9% for women. The economic activity rate (as at the end of the first quarter of 2021) in the Wielkopolskie Province stands at 59.7%, compared with 57.3% for the entire country. The employment rate for the Greater Poland region stands at 58.5%, i.e. it is 3.5% higher than the employment rate for Poland (55%).

Year 2020 was untypical in terms of the social and economic situation in the Wielkopolskie Province, in the country and all over the world. It will be remembered mostly for the global fight against the COVID‑19 pandemic and its consequences. The forced lockdown of economy, reduction of mobility and personal contacts, as well as restrictions in many industries became a part of the Wielkopolskie Province labour market which had been in a relatively good condition but faced certain issues that were not eliminated during the pandemic. Earlier problems are still visible, such as unfavourable demographic conditions, economic inactivity of a part of the working age population, mismatch of employees and market needs, workforce shortage compensated by migrants, and increasing automation. Current economic difficulties limit the hiring capacity of enterprises and the conditions of employment, affecting the situation of employees in the Wielkopolskie Province and their families. Important for the future of the labour market is the current state of education which shapes the possibility of gaining profession or re-training.

Even though the anti-crisis actions slowed down or mitigated negative tendencies on the labour market, it should be noted that in the era of globalisation, the effects of the pandemic will determine the situation on the labour market in the years to come.

Social and economic consequences of the pandemic are already partially visible, but actual effects are not easily foreseeable due to difficulties in specifying the direction of development and the scope of impact.

Such social and economic consequences that may arise from the changes caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic and add to already existing challenges on the labour market include:

•                   the increase in the number of economically inactive persons – this concerns mainly women and persons of retirement age for whom economic inactivity is a solution to survive the COVID‑19 crisis, which very often is not a matter of choice, but a consequence of, for example, redundancies or lack of recruitment;
•                   the exacerbation of dualism on the labour market and the division of jobs into stable and unstable jobs – in the case of flexible forms of employment, civil law contracts or temporary contracts, the commitment of employers who face the need to reduce their costs is more limited. Some groups of employees (with young people being particularly vulnerable) will be functioning within an unstable labour market and this will shape their professional and life situation. As a result, jobs that guarantee safety and the stable conditions of employment will be even more appreciated;
•                   reducing remuneration of employees in the event of lockdown results, among others, in an increase in the number of persons who need to take advantage of social welfare assistance, lower purchasing power of consumers and deterioration of consumer sentiment;
•                   difficulties in the functioning of enterprises: bankruptcies or suspension of activities, deterioration of financial liquidity, and adjustments of the entity’s business object to the changing market needs. Effects will be different, largely depending on the industry and business profile of the entity and on interrelations with other industries;
•                   accelerated digitalisation of economy, which has many forms in various industries, ranging from the streamlining of administrative operations to the wider use of e-commerce channels. Currently, the most digitally advanced are large companies, in particular banks and other entities of the financial sector. Small and medium enterprises and education witness much slower pace of digitalisation. It is also observed that doing professional tasks on mobile devices initiated the process of relocating resources from central urban agglomerations to smaller cities;
•                   increase in the deficit of local government and state budgets – in general, the pandemic changed public budget significantly, both in terms of expenditure and revenue. Additional expenditure relating to the fight against the pandemic and the consequences of lockdown will affect the possibility of financing various areas of social life.

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According to the data from the Statistics Poland, 3 500 entities notified vacancies in the Wielkopolskie Province as at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, i.e. 626 less than in the corresponding quarter of 2019.

Employers notified the total of 8 300 vacancies, i.e. 14.3% less than in the fourth quarter of 2019. The highest number of vacancies were notified to district labour offices by companies representing the following sections: manufacturing (29.4% of all vacancies), wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles (27.2% of vacancies), transportation and storage (10.8% of vacancies), and construction (7.1% of vacancies).

The highest, above a twofold, increase in vacancies was recorded among employers active in the field of wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, including motorcycles.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the highest number of vacancies, i.e. as much as 1 800, concerned plant and machine operators and assemblers, of which 70% were offers addressed to drivers and vehicle operators. The largest demand for the employees in this occupational group was notified by the employers representing the transportation and storage section, as well as the manufacturing section. Approximately 1 700 vacancies were available for craft and related trade workers, while approximately 1 200 each for professionals and for technicians and associate professionals. The highest demand for professionals was notified by business entities from manufacturing, professional, scientific and technical activities, human health and social work activities, and information and communication sections.

In the first half of 2021, employers notified to district labour offices 25% more job offers than in the corresponding period of 2020. In the second quarter of 2021, 27 771 job offers were available, an increase by 57% when compared to the previous quarter. This is a sign of recovery in labour demand after the most difficult period of the pandemic, i.e. 2020. Some offers concerned seasonal employment. Most offers came from employers active in the field of manufacturing (mainly furniture manufacturing, construction metal elements and food processing), transportation and storage, construction and trade. These sections together accounted for more than a half of offers notified to public employment services.

According to the data collected by the Provincial Labour Office in Poznań, in the first half of 2021 employers in the largest number of districts considered the following qualifications the most demanded: forklift licence, driving licence (B, C+E and C category driving licences), computer skills and welding qualifications. Competences notified in the highest number of districts included: teamwork skills, communication skills, good organisation of work, availability, manual skills, engagement and independence. Employers most frequently looked for workers who spoke English and German.

Due to low unemployment rates in the Greater Poland region, the averaged results of the 6^th edition of the Occupational Barometer for the Wielkopolskie Province for 2021 identified 46 shortage occupations and no surplus occupations (as in the last three years). The situation in certain occupations may change depending on market conditions.

In 2020, approx. 47.7% of persons registered as unemployed in the Wielkopolskie Province had at least secondary education. 28% of the unemployed persons had vocational education, 24.3% had lower secondary education and below, and 22% had post-secondary and vocational secondary education. In recent years, there has been a slight but systematic increase in the share of unemployed persons having at least secondary education, including persons with higher education, in unemployment registers. The increasing number of people with tertiary education registered as unemployed results from an increase in the education level of the society and a mismatch between educational choices and the demand for particular occupations on the job market. In consequence, the Wielkopolskie Province’s labour market is seeing a lack of workers with high technical qualifications, with a significant surplus of graduates with degrees in the humanities, among others: primary school teachers, educational counsellors and political scientists. Due to various factors influencing the situation on the labour market, surplus and shortage occupations often overlap.

The Zachodniopomorskie Province is located in the north-western part of Poland. It covers 113 municipalities and 21 districts. It is the fifth largest region in Poland, with an area of 22 900 km², and the 11^th most populous region (1 688 000 inhabitants in December 2020). The majority of the region’s population live in cities (68.3%). Women form the majority of the province’s population (51.4%).

The economic activity rate of the province’s population in the first quarter of 2021 stood at 53.9% (57.3% for the country). This rate was higher for men (62.1%) than for women (46.1%). Higher economic activity rates were recorded for urban dwellers (55.5%) compared to rural dwellers (50.5%).

Persons aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 were the most economically active (86.9% and 83.8% respectively), whereas persons aged 15 to 24 were the least active (20.3%). Persons with higher education were the most active, whereas the lowest activity rate was recorded for persons with lower secondary education and below. The employment rate in the province in the first quarter of 2021 stood at 52.2%, an increase of 0.4 percentage point compared with 2020.

According to the labour demand survey carried out by the Statistics Poland, at the end of 2020, 404 100 persons were employed in the Zachodniopomorskie Province (i.e. 3.3% of all employed persons in Poland), while at the end of 2019 the number was 459 700.

The analysis of the data on the employed persons broken into industries shows that the majority of them (69.3%) were employed in the private sector. At the end of 2020, over half of employed persons in the Zachodniopomorskie Province worked in large companies (employing over 49 persons). In the period considered, persons working in medium-sized companies represented 27.7% of all employed persons, while the employment level in small companies was 21.3%.

According to the Statistics Poland, 4 200 job vacancies (5% of all vacancies in Poland) were recorded in the Zachodniopomorskie Province at the end of 2020. The vast majority of jobs notified (71.4%) were offers in the private sector.

Out of the total 404 100 persons employed in the Zachodniopomorskie Province at the end of 2020, most worked in ‘Manufacturing’ (22%), followed by ‘Wholesale and retail trade’ (14.9%) and ‘Education’ (12.4%). Almost half of the persons employed in the Zachodniopomorskie Province work in these three sections. As for 4 200 vacancies available at the end of 2020, the largest number concerned the ‘Construction’ section (26.2%), followed by ‘Manufacturing’ (16.7%) and ‘Human health and social work activities’ (16.7%).

15 900 new jobs were created in the Zachodniopomorskie Province in 2020, compared with 27 200 in the previous year. 12 500 jobs were lost in the region in 2020, compared with 13 700 in 2019.

48 714 unemployed persons were entered into the registers of the Zachodniopomorskie Province’s labour offices as at the end of June 2021, a decrease of 1 074 persons (2.2%) compared with the previous year. The registered unemployment rate was 7.8%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage point compared with the corresponding period in 2020. At the end of June 2021, the proportion of persons aged under 30 was 23.1% of the total number of unemployed persons, compared with 25.4% in the previous year.

Nearly 45 600 job vacancies and places of professional activation were registered at the Zachodniopomorskie Province’s labour offices between January and June 2021, compared with 38 800 in the same period in the previous year.

2020 witnessed significant changes on the labour market in Poland and in the region in the wake of the COVID‑19 epidemic. Together with the economic slowdown and undertakings’ problems came a sharp increase in unemployment and a decline in the number of job offers. The inflow of unemployed persons in the Zachodniopomorskie Province exceeded the outflow by more than 10 000 persons over a year; more people took advantage of social benefits. The most recent data for June 2021 show that the situation on the labour market in the region is better than in 2020 and better than in May 2021.

According to the REGON register, 237 100 national economy entities were registered in the Zachodniopomorskie Province as at the end of June 2021, an increase of 2.7% compared with the previous year. Most entities were recorded in wholesale and retail trade and construction.

Major employers in the Zachodniopomorskie Province include: Polish Steamship Company (Polska Żegluga Morska) in Szczecin, EUROAFRICA Linie Żeglugowe Sp. z o.o., Grupa Azoty Zakłady Chemiczne ‘Police’ S.A. in Police, Dolna Odra Power Plant Complex (Zespół Elektrowni Dolna Odra), Polferries Polska Żegluga Bałtycka S.A., Morska Stocznia Remontowa Gryfia S.A. in Szczecin, Fosfan S.A., Drobimex Meat Processing Plant (Drobimex Zakład Przetwórstwa Mięsnego) in Szczecin, Bridgestone Stargard Sp. z o.o., Cargotec Poland Sp. z o.o. in Stargard, Faymonville Polska Sp. z o.o., Witkowo Cooperative Agro-Company (Spółdzielcza Agrofirma Witkowo), LM Wind Power, Weber Polska Sp. z o.o., Barlinek Inwestycje Sp. z o.o., Dgs Poland Sp. z o.o., Koszalińskie Przedsiębiorstwo Przemysłu Drzewnego S.A., Kabel-Technik-Polska Sp. z o.o., Kronospan Szczecinek Sp. z o.o., Homanit Polska, NordGlass Sp. z o.o., IKEA Industry Poland, RAMIRENT S.A., Borne Furniture Sp. z o.o., Albatros Nowe Czarnowo, Meden-Inmed Sp. z o.o., Rimaster Poland Sp. z o.o., OT Port Świnoujście, 3Shape Poland Sp. z o.o., BerlinerLuft. Technik Sp. z o.o., ABWood Sp. z o.o., STARGUM, Tepro S.A. Vacuum Technology Plant, Victoria Cymes Sp. z o.o., and PRIGNITZ Meble Pomorskie Sp. z o.o.

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The highest number of job vacancies and places of professional activation registered at the Zachodniopomorskie Province’s labour offices in 2020 came from the following sections: administrative and support service activities (24.7%), manufacturing (23.1%), wholesale trade and construction (nearly 10% each). The highest number of job offers notified at labour offices were addressed to the following occupations: stock clerks, hand packers, building caretakers, building construction labourers, cooks, sales workers, kitchen helpers, other general office clerks, supporting crop farm labourers, warehouse workers, fast food workers, unlicensed personnel care assistants, waiters, maids, office cleaner, sales assistant in food retail, structural-metal assembler, logistics worker, elementary worker in manufacturing and construction. The results of the 2021 Occupational Barometer survey show that shortages of workers in the Zachodniopomorskie Province are particularly acute in the construction industry. Building occupations constitute by far the largest proportion of the occupations projected to be shortage occupations. Among the 34 shortage occupations, there were nine building occupations: concrete placers and finishers, pavers, carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, construction installation assemblers, bricklayers and plasterers, earthmoving plant operators, building finishers, and building workers. With a large number of projects, both public, especially communication projects (expressways, bridges, fairways, railway infrastructure), and private (developers among others), being continued, workers remain in high demand.

On the basis of job advertisements in the industry concerned, experts noted that employers looked primarily for persons with experience and suitable qualifications, but the remuneration offered was not satisfactory for jobseekers. The reason for shortages in the industry concerned is also a noticeable generation gap (carpenters and joiners, construction roofers and sheet-metal workers, plumbers).

In the TSL (transport, shipping and logistics) industry, there will be shortages of automotive sheet-metal workers and spray painters and varnishers, bus drivers, heavy truck and semi-trailer truck drivers, and motor vehicle mechanics and repairers. This is due to the development and, at the same time, significant staffing needs of the TSL branch in this region.

In the medical and care industry, there will be shortages of medical doctors, and nurses and midwives, but also carers of older persons or persons with disabilities, and physiotherapists and massage therapists. In the manufacturing industry, welders, wood treaters and cabinet makers, and electricians, electrical equipment repairers and installers should have no difficulties in finding work. In the finance industry, there will be shortages of independent accountants, accounting and bookkeeping clerks, as well as financial and accounting clerks with foreign language skills. As regards education, teachers of general subjects, vocational training teachers and early childhood teachers are projected to be in high demand.

Additionally, shortages are forecast also in the case of social workers, psychologists and psychotherapists, and uniformed service personnel.

In 2020 the new economic reality quickly changed the hiring plans of the Zachodniopomorskie Province’s employers from optimistic (+7%) in the first quarter of 2020 to decidedly pessimistic in the second quarter of 2020 (-26%).The results of the newest edition of the Hiring plans of the Zachodniopomorskie Province’s employers in the third quarter of 2021 point to clear improvements in terms of hiring plans. The difference in the proportion of employers who plan increases in employment and those who plan reductions was 13% (5% of the surveyed national economy entities are planning to reduce the number of jobs and 18% are planning to increase their number). The future of the labour market and hiring attitudes will be shaped largely by further decisions on economic regulations introduced as a result of the COVID‑19 pandemic. The downward trend in the unemployment rate both in Poland and in the Zachodnipomorskie Province was halted by the COVID‑19 pandemic. The restrictions of business activity imposed in the country (in March 2020) affected the economy, and consequently the labour market, also in the Zachodniopomorskie Province. Even though several support measures financed by local governments and by the state were introduced, it was impossible to entirely eliminate negative consequences of the economy’s lockdown. One of them was an increase in the registered unemployment rate.

At the end of June 2021, the highest number of unemployed persons registered at labour offices in the Zachodniopomorskie Province in terms of occupations were: service and sales workers (22.6%), craft and related trades workers (19.5%), technicians and associate professionals (10.6%), and elementary workers (10.5%). As many as 15.5% of the 48 714 unemployed persons registered at the end of June 2021 did not have any occupation.

According to the 2021 Occupational Barometer, the only surplus occupation were economists. When compared to 2020, the list of surplus occupations was shortened as food and nutrition technology professionals were moved form the ‘surplus’ to the ‘balance’ category.

Difficulties in hiring employees on today’s labour market arise from the following factors: COVID‑19, difficult conditions in the place of work, lack of adequate qualifications and experience among potential employees, difficult access to the place of work, working time/shift work, generation gap (ageing populations), employment of foreigners, grey market and the use of social welfare assistance.