Employment Wobble
Poland's jobless rate climbed to 19.5 percent in January, the second straight monthly increase after nearly a year of improvement, government data showed Wednesday.
The figure compared with 19.1 percent in December. Some 3.095 million people were out of work in January in the ex-communist nation of 39 million, up 95,000 from December, the Central Statistics Office said.
It said seasonal factors accounted for the increase and said the broader trend for job seekers is improving.
"Unemployment has risen for years in January," said the office's deputy head, Janusz Witkowski. "Despite this fact, the situation on the job market has been gradually and systematically improving."
Formerly communist Poland is the largest of 10 nations that joined the European Union last May. It has the highest jobless rate of any country in the 25-member bloc, despite generally strong economic growth.