Summary Lukasz Kozlowski predicts headline joblessness will slide down to 7.0 percent by the end of summer
WARSAW (AFP) - Poland s unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest since the country shed communism to begin embracing the market economy 26 years ago, hitting 7.7 percent in April, the labour ministry said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Beata Szydlo attributed "the best result since 1992" to the spending policies of her government, including a new universal child allowance.
But critics warn her rightwing populist policies will bloat public finances in the country of 38 million which boasts by far the largest economy in the EU s east and has yet to join the eurozone.
Lukasz Kozlowski, a labour market expert with the Employers of Poland federation, told AFP that the real jobless rate is even lower -- tallying at 5.0 percent -- when the shadow economy is factored in.
"The recovery in the global economy, which is showing green shoots after emerging from the global crisis, is the reason behind this decline in countries like Poland that offer investors stability," Kozlowski said told AFP.
He predicts headline joblessness will slide down to 7.0 percent by the end of summer.
Poland s economy expanded by 2.7 percent in 2016, according to revised data, after growth of 3.6 percent in 2015.
The government has forecast growth of 3.6 percent this year, while World Bank has predicted 3.3 percent growth.
