Marlena Maląg, minister for labour, family and social policy, told public broadcaster Polish Radio on Wednesday that the number of jobless nationwide had increased by around 58,000 last month to 960,000.
She added that the government was "doing everything to ensure that as few jobs as possible are lost" because of the pandemic.
One in eight Polish companies have laid off staff and almost one in five have cut wages as the coronavirus crisis buffets the country’s economy, according to a study.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Development Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz was quoted as saying last month that the number of unemployed throughout the country could surge to 1.5 million by the end of the year, with the jobless rate soaring to “somewhere around 9 or 10 percent” due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Friday outlined a plan for more aid to the unemployed, including a special allowance to workers who lose their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis.
According to the country’s Central Statistical Office (GUS), unemployment in Poland fell to 5.4 percent in March, from 5.5 percent in February.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR, PAP