Poland's Unemployment Rises to 12.4 Pct in August Government figures show that Poland's jobless rate rose to 12.4 percent at the end of August from 12.3 percent in July, as the economy shows signs of a slowdown. A statement on the website of the Main Statistical Office on Wednesday showed that some 1.96 million people in this nation of 38 million were registered as jobless at the end of August. That was around 11,500 more than at the end of July and 109,000 more than at the end of August 2011. The rising unemployment rate and decreasing domestic retail sales are evidence of a slowdown. Poland's economy was the only one in the European Union to dodge a recession during the global financial crisis years of 2009 and 2010.