Minister of Work with a new type of unemployment. Poles have something to fear?
The labor department is preparing for potential risks, which the future carries – assures the head of the labor department in an interview with Interii.pl. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk talks about the so-called technological unemployment.
This year’s holidays have brought disturbing news from the labor market. According to the Central Statistical Office (GUS), the registered unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in July, which means an increase of 0.2 points. percent compared to June. These data were an unpleasant surprise, because in the summer – due to, among others for seasonal work – we usually dealt with a decrease in the unemployment rate.
She referred to these data in an interview with the Minister of the Family, Labor and Social Policy. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk explains that they are the result of the new Act on the labor market and employment services, which causes some changes when it comes to the issues of registration, deregistration and counting of the unemployed. – Poland is still invariably among those countries that can enjoy the lowest unemployment in the European Union, a rapid increase in wages, so the situation on the Polish labor market is very good – The head of the labor department tells the portal.
Dziemianowicz-Bąk referred to the last data of Eurostat, according to which the unemployment rate in July amounted to 3.1 percent in Poland. We remain at the forefront of the EU, although we fell beyond the first three (Malta, the Czech Republic and Slovenia are ahead of us).
– Of course, we keep our finger on the pulse and if anything disturbing was to happen, we will react – assured the minister of work.
Poland threatens technological unemployment?
Dziemianowicz-Bąk admits that her department is also preparing for some “not necessary, but potential changes or risks that the future brings.” – For example, technological changes: automation, robotization, the impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market theoretically or potentially can create a threat with the phenomenon of so -called technological unemployment – says the head of the labor department.
To prevent this – as the minister indicates – the ministry is preparing solutions, such as piloting a shortened work week, so that “this various civilization transformation cannot even counteract, but simply prepare for them properly, so as to protect the employee, to protect the labor market.”
