YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM IN POLAND? based on Financial Times report
The 4th Congress of Poland's ruling United Workers! Party (that is the Communist) opened in Warsaw on Sunday, 14th June. Its agenda is hcaetiy angled to the discussion of economic questions, The Congress will be asked to approve a draft plan for the new Five-year Plan period 1966-70. By: :far the largest issue in this period will be the finding of employment for the huge post-war "bulge" generation, The Government will have to find 1.6m, new jobs. It is reckoned that agriculture, in which some 37% of the working population is occupied, cannot absorb any more workers. Therefore the increase in the number of jobs will have to be made either in State industry, construction and services, where total employment last year was 7.4m., or in the development of privately=run services,
Since it is thought impossible to provide the capital for -.ew workplaces for the entire 1.6m. in industry, considerable emphasis is being put on services and handwork such as tailoring, shoe repair, electrical appliance maintenance and handicrafts. The private sector in these fields is being encouraged to expand with, for example, tax concessions to private tradesmen who take on apprentices, The plan sees a 45@47% increase in industrial production. Much of the industrial investment will be in projects already commenced in the extraction industries - hard coal, lignite, copper and sulphur, with some oil exploration.
For new investment there will be a great emphasis on agricilture,. The share of agriculture in the total investment is expected to be 16%, But agriculture and industries working for agriculture (fertilisers, mache inery, etc.) will take no less than 40% of the total productive investment. Agriculturd production is planned to rise by some oho year - a fairly cautious estimate, The aim is to eliminate the need for imports of western grain which, at some 2m.-3m. a year in recent years, hag been a serious drain on hard currency earnings,