Zmiany wydajności pracy i kosztów pracy w Polsce a konkurencyjność gospodarki Polski
Labour Efficiency, Unit Labour Costs and the Competitiveness of the Polish Economy

Summary/Abstract: The study investigates changes in productivity and labour costs in the light of their potential impact on Poland’s competitive position in the years 2004–2012. It addresses the following questions: (a) what was the rate of change in labour productivity in Poland in real terms? (b) what was the rate of change in unit labour costs in real terms? (c) were real changes in labour productivity at least as high as the growth rate of unit labour cost? (This would raise the attractiveness of the Polish economy to foreign investors looking to locate production plants), and (d) how do the changes in labour productivity and labour costs in Poland relate to other world economies and what is the position of Poland in this regard in the international arena? With the international comparisons, special emphasis has been placed on Poland relative to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary as countries with a similar level of economic development and a similar business environment, though Poland was also compared to other countries.As is clear from the research, labour productivity growth in Poland was higher than the increase in unit labour costs, which should have a positive impact on the country’s competitive position. Furthermore Poland is no longer among the countries with the lowest salaries, which means that the current competitiveness is not based solely on cheap labour but on a combination of low labour costs and relatively high labour productivity.

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