The historically fixed division into Poland A and B is still visible on the labour market, but there are symptoms which indicate that it is slowly losing its importance - according to the "Regional Labour Market Barometer" prepared by Work Service S.A.. The change can be clearly seen in the moods of the employees. In the east, only 1 in 10 people are afraid of losing their jobs, while the nationwide percentage of those who fear losing their jobs is 18.6%. However, employers' declarations indicate that Poland is divided into A and B. Recruitment will be the highest in the south and west - in the Małopolskie and Śląskie Voivodships every third company plans to employ, in the Dolnośląskie and Opolskie Voivodships every fourth company plans to employ. Only every seventh in the east.

- The Polish labour market is very territorially diversified. Each voivodeship has its own specificity, which so far is still in line with the historical division into Poland A and B. However, this year's results show that the boundaries of this division are beginning to fade - says Maciej Witucki, President of the Management Board of Work Service S.A. - In the East, employees are not afraid of employment and have high salary requirements. However, macroeconomic indicators are still worse in this region. In the eastern areas, the average unemployment rate is higher than in Poland as a whole. In February, in the Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie and Podlaskie Voivodships it was 12.4% on average, while the national percentage was 10.3%. In addition, employers show less investment activity there and thus less willingness to increase the number of jobs. However, the good mood of the employees is the first sign that the situation is getting better - adds Maciej Witucki.

Exceptionally positive moods in the east

In the Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Świętokrzyskie and Podlaskie Voivodships, almost 90% of the inhabitants are quiet about their current jobs. The results are equally optimistic in the Central region, which includes Mazovia and Łódź, where only 14.6% of employees are unsure of their employment, while the nationwide percentage is 18.6%. Additionally, the inhabitants of Eastern Poland are the least likely to think about changing their job - 15.4%, while among all Poles the percentage is 22.2%.

In the south, the largest number of recruitments

Good moods of employees, however, do not correlate with the attitudes of employers. Well, the greatest demand for workers will be in the southern part of Poland. In the Małopolskie and Śląskie Voivodeships as many as 31.1% of companies are planning to recruit in the coming months. There will also be a significant demand for human resources in south-western (26.5%), central (25.9%) and northern (25%) Poland. The lowest number of recruitments is planned in the East in the Świętokrzyskie, Podkarpackie, Lubelskie and Podlaskie Voivodships - only one in seven companies in the region (14.6%).

In the regions where the demand for labour will be greatest, employers are also most concerned about the possibility of finding qualified staff. In the south, as many as 41.7% of employers expect problems with finding employees. Similar difficulties will be faced by employers in north-western Poland (40.9%) and south-western Poland (39.8%).

Regional optimism about increases

In fact, there is no region in Poland where a large part of the interviewed employees expect their salaries to be reduced. The largest number of employed optimists lives in the Małopolskie and Śląskie Voivodships. That's where 62.4% of employees count on salary increases. The residents of eastern Poland, who are calm about their employment, are also optimistic about their salaries. As much as 61.8% expect wages to rise. This is 6 percentage points more than the national average of 55.8%. The most skeptical are the inhabitants of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Pomorskie Voivodships. Only 46.2% of employees expect a pay rise there.

- Strong wage pressure is present throughout the country. What is important, the highest expectations of salary increases are observed in those voivodships where the greatest difficulties in obtaining adequate human resources are recorded. The example is Silesia and Małopolska, where 41.7% of companies report staff shortages and 62.5% of employees count on pay rises. This is the best proof that in these regions we can already see the signs of a strengthening candidate market - summarizes Krzysztof Inglot, Plenipotentiary of the Management Board of Work Service S.A.

Methodology of the study:

The data presented in the Labour Market Barometer V was prepared and prepared on behalf of Work Service S.A. by the Millward Brown S.A. institute. The study was divided into two categories:

• Employees - The survey was conducted on a sample of employed persons (N=517) selected from a representative nationwide sample of adult Poles (N=1000) (selected according to the structure of the population in terms of gender, age, education, size class and voivodeship of residence), the results were subject to a weighting procedure. The maximum measurement error for the entire working sample is +/- 4.4%. The survey was conducted by means of computer-aided telephone interviews with CATI in January 2016.
• Employers - The survey was conducted on a sample of employers (N=300) selected in amounts for the size of employment, after 100 interviews for small (10-49 employees), medium (50-249 employees) and large (250+ employees) companies, taking into account the voivodeship - place of conducting business activity and sector of the company. The maximum measurement error for the whole sample is +/- 4.2%, and for the three selected employment size classes - +/- 10.2%. The survey was conducted by means of computer-aided telephone interviews with CATI in January 2016.