In Poland, the long-term unemployed, namely people who have been unsuccessfully looking for a job for at least a year, pose a serious social problem and are a source of lost revenue for the state budget.

They cost taxpayers zł.10.5 billion a year, according to calculations made by Deloitte. This is the revenue that the budget would receive if the long-term unemployed were able to find jobs.

"This is a conservative estimate. If we were to adopt more far-reaching assumptions the figure would double," said Rafał Antczak, deputy director of Deloitte.

"The amount is composed of taxes and premiums that the unemployed person and his or her potential employer are now not paying," he added. There are close to a million people characterized as long-term unemployed in Poland.

Poland A.M.