Poland's jobless rate rises to 9.1 percent

Poland's unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent in November under pressure from the global economic crisis that has forced layoffs and from the return of Polish emigres, according to government data released.

Poland's unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent in November under pressure from the global economic crisis that has forced layoffs and from the return of Polish emigres, according to government data released Tuesday.

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Unemployment was up 0.3 percentage points from October, the first rise after five years of steady declines. Poland's jobless rate peaked at 20.7 percent in Feb. 2003.

The Central Statistical Office said 1.39 million people in the country of 38 million were registered as unemployed at the end of November.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference that the rise was due to the slowing of Poland's formerly booming economy and the return of thousands of emigres who left their homeland seeking work. The ex-communist country is exposed to the deepening crisis because it exports heavily to other European Union countries, such as Germany, that are already in recession.