PL
Obserwacje z badań w 7 miastach i gminach, prowadzonych w latach 1994-1995. Bezrobocie - charakter zjawiska w skali lokalnej, główne przyczyny, istniejące formy aktywizacji bezrobotnych i ich wykorzystywanie przez gminy.
EN
The article is a compilation of data from a research study of seven towns and villages carried out in 1994 and 1995. In the local dimension, unemployment is not only a social issue. It has a significant impact on the local revenues and spending: it reduces revenues from personal income taxes and causes social benefits to rise. Counteracting unemployment is therefore an urgent priority for local governments even though they are under no statutory obligation to do so. Boosting local economies must be supported by adequate local tax and investment policies. The study has revealed that there are essential barriers on the local level preventing local governments from fully engaging in active employment promotion measures, promoting business development and providing for short term employment opportunities necessary in the transition stage. Major barriers are: - Low social and professional diversity of local communities, which is inadequate to meet the labour market needs, and - Management and institutional barriers: no training capacity, low quality of local staff, poor work organisation, no local partnerships of local government with other organisations, including government administration and employers. Institutional and management barriers cause local governments to rely on short term demands or, at best, to implement projects that show impact within one term of office rather than to develop informed long term development strategies. They are unable to utilise the resources committed to them by the central government for revitalising local economies or for ad hoc employment schemes. However, only a long term, consistent development strategy with achievable milestones in the various areas of local community life can promise success.