Hundreds of resumes sent by young people, a shrinking number of job offers, skyrocketing unemployment felt across the entire country, mass layoffs — people are terrified. More and more young people are considering emigration. Not long ago, this was the everyday reality of the Third Republic of Poland. Unfortunately, that time is returning. Youth unemployment has risen above 13 percentage points. These are human tragedies that this government should be addressing, said Mateusz Morawiecki, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and former Prime Minister, during a press conference today.
According to Eurostat data, the youth unemployment rate in the EU averaged 14.8% in May 2025. Although Poland remains below the EU average, it has recorded one of the highest increases in youth unemployment over the past year.
In May 2025, the youth unemployment rate in Poland reached 13.5%, up from 10.6% a year earlier. In absolute terms, the number of unemployed young people rose from 117,000 in May 2024 to 151,000 in May 2025. According to MP Jarosław Wieczorek, this represents a year-on-year increase of 27.4%. It is the highest rise among the countries surveyed, while most EU countries are experiencing a downward trend in youth unemployment. Higher unemployment rates were recorded in Ireland, Austria, Finland, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Today, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addressed the challenges facing young people in the labor market during a press conference:
“Hundreds of resumes are being sent out by young people, the number of job offers is declining, rampant unemployment is being felt throughout Poland, mass layoffs — people are frightened. More and more young people are thinking about emigration. Not long ago, this was a normal reality in the Third Republic of Poland. Sadly, that time is returning. Youth unemployment exceeds 13 percentage points. These are human tragedies that this government must deal with,” said the former Prime Minister and current leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists.
In his view, Donald Tusk’s government is “heading toward exporting jobs abroad.”
As the “Work for Poland” task force, the MPs are proposing a range of solutions, including changes in the labor market, training in new technologies, and tax relief for employers.
“Over 80,000 more young people are looking for work in Poland. On the other hand, we’re seeing tens of thousands fewer jobs in businesses. This is a huge issue today, especially for the younger generation, because nearly 30% of them need to find their place. Among women, there’s been more than a 20% increase in unemployment. Among men, over 10%. This shows the extent of today’s negligence and the lack of concern for Polish workers,” emphasized Jarosław Wieczorek, PiS MP and former Silesian Voivode.
Another MP from Silesia, Paweł Jabłoński, noted that by May, 2,000 people in the Silesian Voivodeship had lost their jobs as part of collective layoffs. The situation is particularly bad in the Racibórz region, as previously reported on our site.