The central bank forecasts unemployment rising above 11percent, and expects 180,000 to lose their jobs in 2009-2010,about 5 percent of the workforce From March to May, the unemployment rate was 9.8 percent. POLAND Poland’s largest telecoms group TPSA TPSA.WA, employing26,000 people, is running a voluntary redundancy programme forup to 4,900 workers in 2009-2011. Polish Bank BPH BPHW.WA, a unit of General Electric’s(GE.N) GE Money, posted a net loss in the first quarter. Thebank has decided to lay off almost 1,000 of its 4,761 staff.

A March survey by a business lobby group found 20 percent ofPolish companies planned redundancies. Unemployment eased slightly to 10.8 percent in May, with1.68 million jobless, although government forecasts see the raterising to as much as 13.5 percent in December. ROMANIA Since the end of October, dozens of leading Romanianmanufacturers including Renault’s Dacia plant (RENA.PA) and theRomanian units of ArcelorMittal (ISPA.AS) temporarily cutproduction and sacked workers or sent them home temporarily. However, a 20-billion-euro ($28-billion) package from theInternational Monetary Fund, the European Union and otherforeign lenders, has boosted confidence, slowing job cuts,analysts say. Unemployment has risen by only 0.1 percentage points a monthsince March, but the rate reached a three-year high in May at5.8 percent, from a 16-year low in July 2008. Labour Minister Marian Sarbu said he expected unemploymentto reach no more than 7 percent, or 620,000 people, at the endof the year, less than earlier estimates. SLOVAKIA Slovakia’s unemployment rate rose to 11.39 percent in May,the highest since March 2006, from 10.92 percent in April.

The government of left-wing Prime Minister Robert Fico hasallocated 332 million euros to support the economy with measuressuch as temporary reductions in payroll taxes for businesses. Despite rising unemployment, the jobless rate is still abouthalf the levels seen seven years ago. SLOVENIA Household appliances maker Gorenje (GORE.LJ), Slovenia’ssecond-largest exporter which employs 11,000, said it would cutabout 550 jobs this year because of a fall in sales. Slovenian car producer Revoz, a subsidiary of France’sRenault (RENA.PA), cut 200 jobs out of 3,200 in November. InApril it created 150 new jobs after a pickup in demand for smallcars. Unemployment rose to 8.9 percent in May from 7.0 percent inDecember.