People in Poland set high hopes on the local government reform, expecting first of all that it would strengthen social bonds which offered a sense of having real share in exercising authority and, consequently, led to job creation. It has been several years now since the time that the first local government elections were held that gave rise to communes, a local government level, but also offered an opportunity for development to men of initiative. Local government reform provided a basis for all other reforms, i.e. educational reform, health system reform, and pension reform. Considerable delay in implementing these reforms lead to many distortions that significantly affected the situation in the labour market, as well. The unemployment curve in Poland has been constantly rising in the recent years. 18%, i.e. over 3 million unemployed is something that can already stir the social imagination. Wałcz Poviat, just like the majority of Polish poviats, finds it difficult to secure jobs for its inhabitants. At the end of 2001 the number of people residing within the territory of the Poviat amounted to 57,715, which accounted for 3.3% of the total number of Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship inhabitants. From the population structure analysis it follows that women’s share in total population amounts to 50.6%, and this rate has remained constant for the second year in a row. An analysis of Wałcz Poviat inhabitants’ age structure indicates that the share of population in the productive (101.2%) and post-productive (101%) age is systematically rising at the cost of pre-production age population (96.9%). Potential labour force, i.e. the number of people in the productive age (women aged 18 – 59 / men aged 16 – 64) increased by 403 people, i.e. 1.2%. The number of people having jobs decreased by 704 individuals, of which 235 people lost their jobs in industry and construction, 5 people in market services, and 71 people in agriculture, whereas the number of individuals employed in the non-market services sector increased by 273.
At the end of 2001 there were 4,959 business entities registered within the Poviat territory. The prevailing activity in the structure of entrepreneurs is that related to trade: 38.7%, then there are non-material services: 10.70%, industry: 9.9%, and building industry: 8.7%. In the aforementioned number of entities 95.7% are private sector enterprises, of which 83.8% are those run by natural persons. The majority of registered entities conduct their activities within the city of Wałcz: 66%, and their increase in number when compared with 2000 amounted to 107.8%. In other Poviat communes the dynamics of registered entrepreneurs number increase was as follows: Człopa: 101.5%; Tuczno: 111.9%, Wałcz: 105.1%, whereas in Mirosławiec it remained unchanged.
When assessing the situation in the Poviat market in 2001 one has to state that it was yet another very hard year. Despite an increased number of business entities the number of registered unemployed, and consequently the unemployment rate, has been rising systematically to reach about 29% at the end of the year.
Year 2001 was the worst of the last ten years as regards the amount of funds allocated for effective forms of counteracting unemployment, as well as in terms of their availability for the purpose of labour market programmes’ implementation: settlement of mandatory liabilities specified in the Act on Employment and Counteracting Unemployment. The labour market is characterised by high unemployment of women, exceeding 55%, high rural unemployment: 45.6%, high unemployment among people with low professional skills (39.8% are job-seekers having primary or incomplete primary education), and a high level of long-term unemployment: 44.3%. As regards age, the largest group was that of the unemployed aged 18 - 34: 52% of total registered job-seekers.
The increase in unemployment is affected by a radical deterioration in the labour market situation resulting from the slowing down economic growth; high employment costs; frequently changing legal regulations making it difficult to run business; expensive credits, which resulted in the limitation of development incentives in small and medium-sized enterprises, both in terms of cheaper credits and larger flexibility in the labour market.
Deterioration in the Poviat labour market situation was also considerably affected by massive lay-offs covering 560 people as reported by 20 employers due to economic reasons. Such a high increase in lay-offs due to economic reasons, as well as other conditions made the Poviat and Communes launch numerous actions aimed at reducing unemployment.
An important step taken by the Poviat Council was the Poviat Programme for Counteracting Unemployment and Stimulating Local Labour Market. The aforementioned programme was developed in accordance with the assumptions of the Social and Economic Development Strategy of Wałcz Poviat until 2010. This document takes account of priorities and aims arising from such documents as:
- European Special Fund programme
- National Strategy of Employment Increase and Human Resources Development in the years 2000 – 2006
- Programme for Entrepreneurship Support, Increase in Economy Innovation, and Guidelines for Counteracting Unemployment in Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship.
The need for developing the programme arises from the necessity of taking actions aimed at creating more new jobs and, as a result, reducing unemployment in the Poviat. The programme provides for activities pertaining to the mitigation of unemployment consequences; improvement of the quality of human resources present in the labour market; and adaptation of training to the labour market needs. Activities to be carried out have been divided into three groups:
- tasks arising from the Poviat Strategy,
- Poviat’s own tasks arising from the applicable legal regulations,
- a system of local activities for the benefit of entrepreneurship and employment growth.
The Poviat Programme for Counteracting Unemployment and Stimulating Local Labour Market provides for the accomplishment of a mission whose aim is to increase the population’s involvement in the labour process. This should be attained through such indirect goals, as:
I. Undertaking actions aimed at stimulating the economic growth.
II. Stimulating the labour market through, among other things, a system of activities whose aim is to increase employment and improve the employment mobility and employability of the unemployed, as well as to develop human resources quality.
III. Implementing the system of local activities for the benefit of entrepreneurship and employment growth.
The Programme, depending on financial and organisational capabilities of the Poviat and units being its partners in the performance of tasks, can be modified and enhanced with new instruments, especially in the face of new financial prospects arising from participation in financial programmes funded from external sources.
What is particularly worth mentioning in the Programme is the System of Local Activities for the Benefit of Entrepreneurship and Employment Growth, because opportunities for the improvement of situation should be sought in the growth of entrepreneurship, especially in the development of small and medium-sized, as well as family enterprises, and in the promotion of investments since they may become sources of regular jobs. Consistent implementation of labour market programmes that mitigate unemployment consequences will also contribute to the gradual improvement of situation regarding unemployment.
Local actions taken with respect to the entrepreneurship and employment growth are aimed at the following:
- establishing a Poviat Centre for Entrepreneurship Support, and Communal Centres for Entrepreneurship Support,
- establishing a Poviat Fund of Credit Guarantees,
- preparing a study of the local economic potential, as well as updating and promoting it on an ongoing basis,
- supporting the development of interests and knowledge in the scope of entrepreneurship and innovation,
- introducing allowances and preferences for entities that create jobs for the unemployed.
These activities are meant to provide services in order to help individuals interested in initiating business activities, and contribute to the development of the small and medium-sized enterprises sector.
As part of the Programme one will form the Poviat Fund of Credit Guarantees whose activities will cover the Poviat of Wałcz, and whose task will be to provide credit guarantees intended for:
- business activity taken up by the unemployed,
- creation of jobs for the unemployed, taking account of preferences for entities from areas that require support, and in particular for the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas and small towns.
No inventory of economic potential has been taken in the Poviat. Thus, it is necessary to prepare the study of local economic potential, and to formulate principles of its ongoing updating and promotion through:
- preparation of the economic potential study,
- creation of a repository of economic information, and ongoing data updating,
- promotion of the local economic potential.
Actions that are undertaken are aimed at integrating numerous partners around the problem, including in particular local governments from the territory of Wałcz Poviat.


Bogdan Wankiewicz
Vice-Starost