Polish economy forecast to slow down as growth in EU weakens

In April, World Bank economists projected economic growth in Poland to reach 4.0% in 2019.

Poland’s economic growth rate is projected to reach 4.3% in 2019, driven primarily by expanding domestic consumption and a rebound in investment. In subsequent years, the economy is forecast to slow down as growth in the European Union weakens and Poland increasingly suffers from the effects of labor shortages, according to the latest World Bank Economic Update for Europe and Central Asia, released today.

In April, World Bank economists projected economic growth in Poland to reach 4.0% in 2019. The forecast for 2020-2021 is maintained at 3.6% and 3.3%, respectively. While Poland's growth is one of the fastest in Europe and Central Asia, overall growth dynamics in the region are being adversely affected by the downturn in Turkey and Russia.

“Household consumption, fueled by expected increases in budgetary expenditures and a tight labor market and rising wages, will continue to grow in Poland. This, together with continuing low-interest rates and the execution of European funds-related investments will help sustain Poland's economic growth prospects in the near term," says Carlos Piñerúa, World Bank Country Manager for Poland and the Baltic States. “The two biggest challenges Poland’s economy is facing in the medium term are the shortage of workers resulting from current demographic trends and the rising financial burden of the implementation of a range of expansionary policies, which will be difficult to reverse for political reasons. Proposals for further social spending, combined with tax cuts and rising liabilities towards pensioners, may push the deficit towards the three percent EU threshold in the medium term”.

So far, pressures on the labor market – and any negative spillovers on the economy – have been ameliorated largely by the influx of foreign workers, mainly from Ukraine.

"Poland is proof that migration can contribute to prosperity in the country," says Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Chief Economist of Europe and Central Asia Region of the World Bank. “Migrants disproportionately tend to be of working age and can, therefore, ease demographic pressures by increasing the size of the labor force, raising productivity, and boosting growth.”

The share of immigrants in Europe has rapidly increased over the last four decades, with one out of every three immigrants around the world now going to Europe. Intra-regional migration is also high in Europe and Central Asia, with 80% of emigrants choosing to move to other countries in the region. Opposition to migration is often strong, however, because the benefits tend to be longer-term while the costs - including displacement and unemployment - are immediate and concentrated among certain groups. Policymakers need to assist these groups by designing programs to retrain them and adjusting education systems for young people so that they are not competing with lower-skilled immigrants.

At the same time, improving governance and strengthening institutions in origin countries are long-term policies that can address the root causes of persistent emigration. Policies aimed at retaining skilled labor include promoting the private sector and boosting job creation, investing in higher education, and increasing opportunities for women in the economy. The report shows that increasing incentives for remaining in a country of origin is more likely to deter outward migration than pursuing policies that restrict benefits abroad.