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The record-low unemployment results in the consistently growing demand for human resources from behind our eastern border. The new regulations, in force since January of this year, and the new category of simplified seasonal work permit were supposed to assist employers. However, it turned out that employment agencies are not yet ready to embrace the changes. The number of declarations processed every day can sometimes be ten times lower than before.

High energy costs, heating and air conditioning charges are tangible problems for both enterprises and local governments. They often lack funds for investments to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings they use. An alternative solution is investments based on the ESCO formula, where the whole cost and risk are incurred by the company implementing the project. In Poland the value of the market is estimated at EUR 27 m and is constantly growing, as increasingly more emphasis is placed on the significance of energy efficiency for the development of the economy and the competitiveness of enterprises.

The number of vacancies is growing, having reached nearly 120,000 jobs by late 2017. Employees from the East are no longer able to make up for this shortage. That’s why more and more businesses are recruiting employees from such Asian countries as Nepal, India or Bangladesh. But experts suggest we need changes in employment procedures for foreign nationals, e.g. harmonised requirements across government agencies, streamlined visa-application procedures, and the shortened processing of work permits.

Criticising the Government's purchase of works of art from the Princes Czartoryski Foundation is not favourable for Poland’s international reputation, experts of the Staszic Institute emphasised. The dispute over the legitimacy of the transaction reignited when it turned out that the money went to the bank account of a newly established foundation in Liechtenstein, and that the family conflict in the aristocratic family will find its way to court. According to the experts of the Staszic Institute, the purchase was necessary and the price was very reasonable, whereas the issue of what the seller does with the money from the transaction is not anybody else's concern.

Tax reliefs valid for up to 15 years, and the investment outlays requirement reduced by 98 percent – the act on supporting new investments entered the Senate a few days ago. Entities operating all over the country, not only in the special economic zone as it was done before, will be eligible for support. Experts stress that these are positive changes as they will make the country more attractive for investors. Benefits will be especially provided to micro- small and medium-sized businesses. The introduced changes are expected to result in as many as 500,000 additional jobs.

44 percent of businesses in Poland suffered financial losses due to cyberattacks in 2017. Cyber threats are a growing concern. One of the challenges is to ensure the security of IoT devices. As we're speaking, 70 percent of these devices have gaps enabling hackers to take control of them. Efforts have been undertaken to prevent this. The EU is working on regulations to make it mandatory to certify devices for their cyber-vulnerability.

In 2018, businesses can expect a record number of legal changes. Starting this year, the obligation to submit the JPK file, after large and medium-sized enterprises, has now covered small businesses. Furthermore, from now on the National Court Register will only accept electronic reports. More regulations are to enter into force in the following months, including those aimed at tightening the VAT system, and changes to the leasing reporting rules. In response to this new legislation, businesses will need to adapt their organisational and IT infrastructure.

The proposed changes in claims-limitation legislation will provide greater protection for debtors. Experts are warning that some fraudulent consumers might take advantage of this, as they would have more tools to avoid repaying overdue debt. These changes might have serious market implications. Most probably, they will affect claims management companies, businesses with overdue claims from clients and consumers themselves, as some financial products will be harder to get and more expensive, experts from the Conference of Financial Companies in Poland argue.

Since 2018, Poland has a new Act on the promotion of employment and labour market institutions. It is expected to facilitate the employment of foreigners from outside the EU and EEA, as well as to help control people arriving to Poland. Employers propose the introduction of the Immigration Act to recruit workforce not only from Ukraine, but also from Arab countries. Without it, the demand for new personnel might be difficult to satisfy. Some companies have already had to give up contracts as they are not able to complete them because of labour shortages.

There are too few potential employees with appropriate qualifications in Poland, which is why employers decide to hire foreigners, especially from Ukraine. 100 percent of companies asked cite this as the reason they are looking for foreign specialists. Only last year, foreigners were granted 6.5 times more work permits than in 2010. The vast majority of Poles do not see them as a threat to their own jobs.

The Act on Electromobility adopted in January doesn’t cover hybrid cars, which are increasingly popular on the Polish market. It also excludes plug-in hybrids, which allow switching the drive to electric, from accessing clean transport zones. No other country in Europe has ever introduced such strict regulations. Europe’s biggest cities such as Berlin and London initially allowed access to their clean zones for low-emission vehicles, and the criteria were gradually made more stringent.

“The proposed regulations about Special Economic Zones are expected to create better-paid, high-quality jobs,” claimed Janusz Michałek, President of the Katowice Special Economic Zone. Investors will get extra points for cooperation with universities and clusters, and for having their own R&D departments, to ensure technologically advanced investments. And these, in turn, are expected to attract highly qualified personnel, whose shortage seems to be the largest problem for investors.