Why this misery? – looking for positive economic data, we can not ask ourselves this question. Last year, gross domestic product increased by 3.4 percent. The pace of economic growth was so twice as fast as in the previous year. However, this has not reduced poverty present in our country. According to the latest CSO data, in 2014. Lived in extreme poverty to 7.4 percent. people (2.8 million) as it exists in households. It’s the same as in the previous year. Their expenses were lower than the subsistence minimum set by the Institute of Labour and Social Affairs. They include only amounts making it possible for basic food and maintaining a very small apartment. But there is among them, for example, expenses related to communication and culture. In the past year, such minimum for single farm was only 540 zł, and a four (two adults and two children) in 1458 zł.
Experts is not surprising, however, is that despite the acceleration of economic growth of poor people not disappeared. – This is because they are working on that increase to the greatest extent, those who are at the top of the social ladder. This makes the upturn most benefit those households that already are in relatively good financial situation – assesses prof. Henryk Domanski, a sociologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences .
The CSO data shows that extreme poverty risk are primarily the unemployed and their families. Meanwhile – paradoxically – in the past year, unemployment continued to decline. In December of 2014. It was about 333 thousand. people less than in the same period of the previous year. At the same time the number of people employed in the economy increased by 156 thousand.
– Unemployment may fall, economic activity rate may rise, but poverty does not have to decrease. Because increasing group of working poor, and so employed on so-called junk contracts and receiving the minimum wage or even lower, which does not allow for a prosperous life – says prof. Jolanta Grotowska-Leder, a sociologist at the University of Lodz . According to CSO data available in 2013. Only on contracts-orders or contracts for work employed 1.4 million people and 1.3 million workers wages did not exceed the minimum wage.
Despite this, the average salary also increased. For example, in companies employing more than 9 persons it was last year in real terms (after inflation) of 3.7 per cent. higher than in the previous year. – Not all households have benefited from such increases, because it was an average increase in salary – explains prof. Eve Leś, a political scientist at Warsaw University . He adds that those who earn little, if taken advantage of increases, often to a lesser extent, due to, among others, low level of education or occupation for which they carry. Because education has a beneficial effect on the level of income, although not always – in extreme poverty in households lived in last year’s 0.9 percent. people with university degree.
Poverty is relatively large for another reason. – Poland is one of the few European Union countries where there is no consistent state social policy, which is consistent element of social policy, to help people who find themselves in a difficult situation – assesses Dr Waldemar Urbanik , rector of the Higher School of Humanities Science in Szczecin .
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