Labor gloom worsens as analysts estimate 20% unemployment by year's end

The number of registered unemployed at the end of last year stood at over 3.1 million, or 17.3% of the workforce, according to government sources. This compared to a figure of 3.05 million, or 16.8%, in November. Nearly 80% of the unemployed are not entitled to receive benefits, and there was just one job offer for every 585 would-be workers. The situation is especially serious among young people and in the rural areas, with one in every ten poviats reporting an unemployment rate of over 30%. The problem has been exacerbated by declining employment levels in the mining, metallurgy and machinery sectors, as well as in trade. To make matters worse, the budget problems brought about by the recession have led to a reduction in training and employment programs. While government forecasts put the unemployment rate in 2002 to 2004 at around 18 to 19%, many analysts expect it to exceed 20% as early as the end of this year. (Prawo i Gospodarka, pp. 1, 2) M.K.