The slump was more severe than forecast by analysts, who had expected a drop of 10 percent amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
In month-on-month terms, Polish industrial production in April fell by 25.5 percent compared with March, according to the Central Statistical Office.
The latest batch of economic data came after the state-run statistics agency reported on Wednesday that employment in Polish companies with more than nine workers dropped by 2.1 percent in April on average in year-on-year terms, while falling by 2.4 percent from a month earlier.
One in four employees surveyed in Poland this spring by human resources firm Randstad said they were afraid of losing their job due to the coronavirus crisis.
Poland’s labour minister said this month that more than 3 million jobs have been saved throughout the country thanks to government efforts to shield the economy from the coronavirus.
A total of 19,983 people have tested positive for the COVID-19 disease in Poland, with 965 deaths from the coronavirus so far, public health officials said on Thursday morning.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Development Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz said earlier this month that, despite being hit by the coronavirus, Poland may avoid falling into a recession this year, and that its economy should rebound strongly next year.
According to the European Commission, Poland will cope with the fallout of the coronavirus crisis better than any other economy in the European Union.
The Polish economy grew 1.9 percent in the first quarter of this year, the country’s Central Statistical Office (GUS) said last week in a flash estimate.
(gs)
Source: PAP