The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy wants to add money to the budgets of counties where group layoffs are planned. The amount is PLN 50 million. “We want to be safe,” said the head of the ministry, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk.
On Monday, at the plenary meeting of the Social Dialogue Council, the head of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy (MRPiPS), Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, referred to reports of group layoffs in Polish companies.
– We assess the situation as stable, reliable and optimistic, considering the low unemployment rate. At the same time, we want to be safe. Therefore, I decided to preventively release an additional PLN 50 million from the Labor Fund reserve for activities for counties where such group layoffs are planned, said Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk.
Additional money due to collective layoffs
The Minister informed that the funds could be allocated by counties for activities such as: job placement, reimbursement of equipment costs or retrofitting the workplace for the employerthese will be funds for starting your own business or on issues related to expanding qualifications.
– These funds can be used when necessary, but I would like to emphasize that we do not see this necessity at the moment – said Dziemianowicz-Bąk.
Dziemianowicz-Bąk referred to reports of group layoffs in Polish companies. Recently we informed about it being liquidated Levi Strauss factory in Płock, being prepared layoffs at Poczta Polska or closed after 76 years steel foundry in Elbląg.
– Throughout 2023, employers announced their intention to collectively lay off 30,000 employees. However, they laid off 17,000 because these notifications and announcements did not always, and most often not at all, match the number of actual layoffs, the minister said.
Labor market in Poland in 2024
The head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy emphasized that the situation on the labor market in Poland is the best in 30 years. – Poland has long been a country with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the European Union – said the minister.
She added that according to the latest Eurostat data, the unemployment rate in Poland was 2.9 percent in February. The average unemployment rate in EU countries is 5.9%.
Current initiatives on the labor market
The head of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy also reminded about recent legislative activities. She mentioned, among others: draft act on the labor market and employment services, draft on whistleblowers, draft on additional indexation of pensions, regulation on increasing the funeral allowance.
The minister also pointed to the government's adoption of the project regarding the “Active parent” program.
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