This report describes the organisation of employment services, labour market programmes, unemployment
insurance (UI) benefits and social assistance in Poland according to the legislation that was in force until
January 2009, when the Act on employment promotion and labour market institutions was amended.
The decentralisation of employment service began in 1998 and was completed in 2002. Since
decentralisation, local-level poviat labour offices (PUP) report to local mayors (starosta or prezydent
miasta na prawach powiatu). However, state structures at a regional level supervise the performance of
both the PUP and, at the regional level, the voivodeship labour offices (WUP). These offices must follow
some centrally-defined rules and legal standards: for example, a Ministerial guideline in 2007 defined
minimum numbers of staff they should employ by main function. However, their operational costs are in
principle borne by the respective territorial levels of government. Under-financing is common, and there
are concerns that decentralisation has led to more uneven service provision and performance. Local
budgets may be used to finance the outsourcing of some PUP labour market services, but local authorities
usually find that in-house provision is cheaper.
