Polish unemployment scam hurts Poland

Warsaw, Poland September 22, 2006. With Poland's unemployment officially reported at somewhat over 15%, the Polish Ministry of Labor acknowledges that more than 1 million people registered as unemployed do not want to work. Many of Poland's unemployed have registered as unemployed simply to get health benefits.

Many have questioned why Polish employers are complaining that they cannot find workers with a country that has an official unemployment rate over 15%. But recently released comments by the Ministry of Labour showing that of the approximately 2.5 million people in Poland who are registered as unemployed, 1 million or more of them actually do not want to work. And anecdotal evidence indicates that the 1 million figure may actually be low.

In order to keep one's registration on the unemployment rolls and get health insurance one must attend meetings organized by the Ministry of Labor at which meetings job offers are reviewed. Attendees gets a stamp on their documents that allows them to continue to receive health insurance under the unemployment program.

Meeting organizers report that at a typical meeting where perhaps 15 people attend to get a stamp, after the formal presentation of the meeting it is normal for 12 or 13 of the 15 people to leave the meeting with only 2 or 3 staying behind to actively look at work offers and find work. That means 12 or 13 of 15 people who attend these meetings seem to attend only to get to health insurance.

It maybe that some of these people don't want to work. It may also be that some of these people are illegally employed and are using the unemployment system in order to get health insurance.

Employers are complaining that they cannot find enough employees. Restaurants cannot get waiters, contractors cannot get laborers, and small businesses are unable to find office workers and general laborers. But the country is paying for health insurance on about two and a half million unemployed people, many of whom seem to be just working the system.

New investors are building factories in Poland with the expectation that they will find a well-educated work force. The reality of the labor situation on the ground in Poland may not have struck them yet. They may not find workers all.

Some of the investors have said that they intend to bring Polish expatriates back to Poland. Comments by some of these expatriates, notably from Ireland, say why should they come back to Poland when the living expenses in Poland are about the same as the living expenses and Ireland and the pay scales and living conditions in Ireland are much better than in Poland.

The country remains focused on the political chaos encouraged by the Kaczynski regime and appears to be ignoring an underlying problem that is hurting Poland now and is sure to hurt Poland more in the future.

Source: masterpage.com.p