Voivodship Labour OfficeIn Białystok and Lublin

Living and Workingin Poland

Marta Sadłowska, Beata Chrościńska

EURES Advisers

Lisbon, 21-22 October 2010

General informationGeneral information

Territory: 312 685 km²Population: 38.2 mlnNumber of voivodships: 16Language: Polish

General informationGeneral information

• Full country name: Republic of Poland• Capital city: Warszawa (Warsaw) – population 1.7 million• Political system: parliamentary democracy• Currency: 1 zloty (PLN)= approx. EUR. 0.25• Time: GMT+1h• Nationalities: 98.5% Polish, 0.6% Ukrainians, 0.5% Germans,

0.4% others• Religion: 90.7% Catholics, 1.4% Orthodox, 7.9% others• The biggest cities: Warszawa, Łódź, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań,

Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Białystok • Climate: continental, moderate, changeable weather

MMain economic ain economic indicatorsindicators

• GDP growth in 2010– 2.6 %

• Private sector responsible for more than 60% of Polish economy

• Inflation rate in 2010 – 2.5%

• Average gross monthly salary in 2010= PLN 3316 = € 840

• Minimum gross monthly wage – in 2010 in PLN 1,317 = € 333.46

• Unemployment benefit in 2010 - PLN 717= € 181.54

UE citizens` access to Polish labour market:UE citizens` access to Polish labour market:

- NO LIMITS –

UE citizens have a free access to Polish labour market – work permit is NOT

required

Residing in PolandResiding in Poland

If residence is longer than 3 months:

• The application for registration must be filed in by EU citizen wth the competent voivode in the place of residence.

• The applicant must show a valid travel document or another document confirming his/her identity and citizenship

The application for registration must be accompanied The application for registration must be accompanied by the following documents:by the following documents:

1. Emploees:- A written statement of the employer- A work certificate

2. Self-employed:- An excerpt from the National Court Register- A certificate of registration in the business activity register

3. Students or persons undergoing job training:- A certificate from a school of higher education confirming

admission or a referral for a job training- A documents confirming the right to health and care benefits- A proof confirming possession of sufficient funds to support

oneself without a need to apply for welfare benefits

Permanent Residency in PolandPermanent Residency in Poland

• NOTE!After five years of uninterrupted residency in the territory of Poland an EU citizen acquires permanent residency

(the person does not remain outside Poland for more than six months within the year)

More info: http://uric.gov.pl

.

Zachodnio- Pomorskie 16.1

Pomorskie 12.2%

Lubuskie 15.3%

Wielkopolskie

9.2%

Dolnośląskie 12.9%

Łódzkie11.9%

Opolskie 12.5%

Śląskie 9.7%

Podkarpackie 15%

Warmińsko- Mazurskie

19.1%

Małopolskie 9.9%

Mazowieckie 9.3%

Kujawsko-Pomorskie

15.5%

Świętokrzyskie 14.4%

Lubelskie 12.5%

Podlaskie 12.5%

UUnemploymentnemployment RateRate

11.3 %- August 2010

The characteristic of PolishThe characteristic of Polish unemployment:unemployment: seasonality – dropping from March, increasing in November and

December differentiation between the regions of the country

registered unemployment is dominated by women

average duration of registered unemployment among men is shorter than the figure for women

people with the highest qualifications are in much better situation on the labour market

unemployment growth caused by an international crisis – group dismissals (procesing industry, tourism, finance, automotive industry, transport)

Surpluses in Poland:

• Seller• Economic assistant• Technician mechanic• Locksmith• Car mechanic• Tailor• Economist• Cook• Bricklayer• Construction technician• Processing industry worker• Farmer / agriculture technician• Baker• Tradesman• Electrician fitter• Pastry cook• Hairdresser• Electronics engineer

Shortages in Poland:

• Office worker• Administrative clerk• Long vehicle driver• Cashier• Safeguard• Carpenter• Steel fixer• Welder• Warehouseman• Digger operator• Commercial agent• Old people carer• Librarian• Secretary• Plasterer• Tile layer• Buildings conservator

Work possibilities:Work possibilities:

How to find a job in Poland?How to find a job in Poland?In Poland, one may look for a job by oneself or through:

•public employment services - to have access to all the job offers of a district job centre

(Powiatowy Urząd Pracy) the person must be registered at that centre as a job seeker or an

unemployed

•non-public employment agencies - each non-public employment agency should be

entered in the register of entities running employment agencies, a proof of which is a

certificate issued by the Voivodship Marshal (Self-governed Regional Authority). The list of

agencies is published on the webpage www.kraz.praca.gov.pl

An employment agency may not charge any fees (except for the actual cost

incurred in connection with sending an applicant to a job abroad) to the persons for whom

employment sought or to whom assistance is provided in finding the right profession and

place of employment

How to find a job in Poland?How to find a job in Poland?• newspaper job ads - most daily newspapers, both nationwide and local ones,

contain special pages with job offers. Monday edition of "Gazeta Wyborcza„ and

Wednesday edition of "Rzeczpospolita" daily newspaper

• Internet portals with job offers (examples)

www.praca.interia.pl

www.praca.gazeta.pl

www.pracuj.pl

www.praca.wp.pl

www.praca.onet.pl

www.jobs.pl,

www.jobpilot.pl

Employment contractsEmployment contracts

An EU citizen entering into an employment contract with Polish employer is, as a rule,

subject to Polish labour law provisions.

Types of employment contracts:• For a probationary period (not exceeding 3 months)• For a definite period• For the completing a specific job• For an indefinite period

Concluding an Employment ContractConcluding an Employment Contract

A work agreement is concluded in wrriting and determines:

• parties to an agreement, • the type of agreement,• the date of its conclusion,• conditions of work and pay• the type of work, • the place at which work is carried out, • remuneration for the type of work, • specifying pay components and legal grounds for their establishment, • whether the work is part-time or full-time, • a start date

At workAt work

• Working Hours: Full time = 40h/week or individual agreement

• Salary: paid at least once a month, on a fixed pre-agreed date

Poland has a minimum pay guaranteed by law. Currently, it

amounts to PLN 1,317 gross (as of 1 January 2010) for a full time

employee.

• Annual Leave: 20-26 working days.

• Social Security – employer submits employee

• Taxes, contributions – deducted from salary

TaxationTaxationTypes of taxes in Poland:

• direct:– personal income tax PIT– corporate income tax CIT

• indirect: – tax on goods and services also known as value added tax – VAT (Poland has

four VAT rates: 22%, 7%, 3% and 0%)– excise tax– gambling and lottery tax

• property: – inheritance and donation tax – tax on civil law transactions– agricultural tax– forestry tax– real property tax– tax on means of transportation

TaxationTaxation

Poland has a progressive income tax system. Personal Income Tax Scale in 2010:

•18% - up to 85 528 PLN of yearly income

•32% - over 85 528 PLN of yearly income

The income tax is calculated on the basis of gross wages less compulsory social security contributions and deductible costs.

A tax return for a given year is filed on the appropriate form by 30 April of the following year at the tax office appropriate to the taxpayer's address.

Corporate tax rate for 2010 is 19%.

Pursuit of Business ActivitiesPursuit of Business Activities

Legal forms of business in Poland:

• self-employment

• a non-commercial partnership

• non-corporate privately-held partnerships

• capital companies

An EU citizen may engage in business activities in Poland on the same terms as Polish citizens.

Social Insurance Social Insurance

Social insurance in Poland is universal and obligatory.

Old Age Pension Insurance

• the contribution to old age pension insurance is 19.52% of the contribution assessment basis and is different depending on the insured’s income

• the statutory retirement age in Poland is 60 for women and 65 for men

Disability Insurance

• guarantees benefits in the event of loss of income due to the occurrence

of a risk of disability

• in situation of the breadwinner’s dead persons receive a family pension

Social InsuranceSocial Insurance

Accident at Work and Occupational Diseases Insurance• sickness allowance

• rehabilitation benefit

• one-time indemnity

• pension for accident at work or occupational disease

• training pension

• family pension

• nursing allowance

• medical costs reimbursement

The contribution for the accident at work insurance varies from 0.40% to 8.12% of the contribution assessment basis and is funded in full by the employer.

Social InsuranceSocial Insurance

Sickness and Maternity Insurance• the contribution to sickness and maternity insurance is 2.45% of the contribution

assessment basis

– sickness allowance - paid to the insured at 80% of the assessment basis and at 70% of the assessment basis for the duration of the insured’s hospitalization

– rehabilitation benefit - paid for a period necessary to regain capacity for work but for not more than 12 months

– top – up allowance - paid only to the insured's who are employees. Eligible for the allowance are the employees whose pay has been reduced due to having undergone vocational rehabilitation or who, due to poor health, have been moved to a different position

– maternity benefit - equal to 100% of the remuneration

– nursing allowance - paid, among other things, if it becomes necessary to take care of a sick child of 14 or younger or another family member. The monthly nursing allowance equals to 80% of the benefit assessment basis

Health CareHealth Care

• An EU citizen is entitled to free medical health care in Poland if:

– he/she is subject to health insurance in another EU state during his/her temporary stay in Poland

– he/she is subject to Polish health insurance

• Subject to mandatory health insurance are persons who:

– work under employment contracts or service contracts

– are registered with a district job centre as unemployed

– are self-employed

• Mandatory health insurance does not cover the persons who work

under task contracts.

Renting a flat:Renting a flat:

1. On one’s own – by asking friends, reading newspaper and Internet ads, placing one’s own ads in newspapers and Internet portals, or hanging such ads in the desired neighbourhood

2. Throuhg a real estate agency

Cost of Living – examples of prices:Cost of Living – examples of prices:

• Bread: PLN 2 (EUR 0,5)

• Milk – 1 l: PLN 2 (EUR 0,5)

• Butter – 0,25 kg: PLN 3 (EUR 0,75)

• Ham – 1kg: PLN 20 (EUR 5)

• Swiss cheese - 1 kg : PLN 20 (EUR 5)

• Apples - 1 kg: PLN 3 (EUR 0,75)

• Beer - 0,5 l : PLN 3 – 10 (EUR 0,75 – 2,5)

• Cinema ticket: PLN 20 (EUR 5)

Learning PolishLearning Polish

• http://www.polish.courses.pl/

• http://www.klubdialogu.pl/• http://www.varia-course.com/

• http://www.calleo.pl/

• http://www.polonica.edu.pl/indexe.html

• http://www.centroitaliano.pl/it/

Thank you for attention!Thank you for attention!

Beata ChrościńskaEures Adviser

Voivodeship Labour Office in Białystok

22 Pogodna Street, 15-358 Białystok

Poland

Tel: 0048 85 7497235beata.chroscinska@wup.wrotapodlasia.pl

Marta Sadłowska

Eures Adviser

Voivodeship Labour Office in Lublin

5 Okopowa Street, 20-022 Lublin, Poland

Tel/Fax: 0048 81 472 56 34m.sadlowska@wup.lublin.pl