Helping Poland cope with unemployment Robert W. Bednarzik T he transition from State socialism to a market economy is fraught with danger for Poland. Failure or too long a transition period can provoke serious unrest.
Unemployment is certain to be a part of such a transition.
At the request of the Polish Ministry of Labor, the U.S. Department of Labor has begun a technical assistance program to help Polish workers adjust to the crucial period of economic transition and reform. This article describes the nature of the U.S. Department of Labor's technical assistance to Poland. To help understand how the assistance is tailored to Poland's economic system, reform plan, labor market structure, and unemployment prospects. By the end of the 1940's, Poland had established a centrally planned economic system based on the Soviet model of state-owned industry and central control of production and trade. This model lead to rapid industrialization, with extensive concentration of capitol and labor in heavy industries.