The International Day of Older Persons held on 1 October is an opportunity to congratulate and to extend our gratitude, but also to remind of the importance and the necessity for a wise senior policy. – A policy which focuses on the people and their well-being. This includes a number of activities contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of the elderly in Poland - says Marlena Maląg, Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy.

In August, the unemployment rate in Poland reached 3.1% vs. 3.2% in the previous month, as shown by the latest data published by Eurostat. The unemployment rate in our country remains at the same level as in the same period last year and still remains below the EU average.

Nearly two thirds of Polish citizens positively assess the current situation on the labour market in Poland, while nearly two thirds declare having a sense of employment security in their current workplace, according to the CBOS survey.

Preparation of a plan for establishing a nursery, organising childcare or financing the functioning of institutions - these are some of the examples of training courses related to the care for children up to 3 years old in projects selected for funding in the competition announced by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. Over PLN 14 million from the European Social Fund and the state budget was allocated to the competition.

Ensuring the continuity of the facilities on the one hand, and the safety of the residents and staff on the other is a great challenge. We act to ensure the safety of all people, including residents and employees of social welfare homes. These include new regulations on the organisation of work, personal protective equipment and additional financial support during the pandemic.

– We have spent over PLN 137 billion for protecting jobs under the three shields - anti-crisis, financial and the assistance shield. This allowed us to save over 6 million jobs - informed the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Marlena Maląg during the press briefing held on Thursday. The meeting, attended also by the president of Polish Gas and Oil Company Jerzy Kwieciński, was dedicated to the support for entrepreneurs and the economy during the pandemic.

The minimum wage in the next year will amount to PLN 2,800 - as stated in the regulation accepted last Tuesday by the Council of Ministers. Next year will also see the increase of the hourly rate up to PLN 18.30. – The increases will allow to increase the income of households in the next year by nearly PLN 3 billion – says the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Marlena Maląg.

The Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Marlena Maląg awarded the Meritis pro Familia Badges of Honour for the first time on Sunday to the persons distinguished for pro-family measures. - It is a special and particularly honourable distinction - stresses the head of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. The Badges were awarded during the Sunday celebrations related to the III National Festival “Thankful for Polish Farmers”.

The III National Festival “Thankful for Polish Farmers” was held on Sunday, September 13th in Pólk near Bralin (Wielkopolskie Voivodeship). The festivity took place along with a family picnic. The event was attended by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy Marlena Maląg and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski and the Minister of Sport Danuta Dmowska-Andrzejuk.

Financial support for respite care services, and financing of specialist psychological or therapeutic counselling, as well as support in the field of nursing, rehabilitation and dietetics education – these are the main assumptions of the programme announced by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, “Respite care for family members or carers of disabled persons – 2020–2021 edition”. This year, 30 million Polish zlotys will be allocated to its implementation from the Solidarity Fund. Next year it will be as much as 50 million zlotys for non-governmental organisations.