26 June 2001
Introduction of visa requirements by Poland may boost official unemployment in Brest

 The official unemployment rate in Brest is likely to rise sharply after Poland introduces visa requirements for Belarus, an official of the Brest
Employment Center told BelaPAN.
About 3,000 people, or just 1.5 percent of Brest's labor force, are officially registered as unemployed. Most of them are youths under 30. Brest has had for a long time the lowest official unemployment rate among the regional centers in Belarus, but experts say that the real
unemployment rate is quite high. Thousands of Brest residents earn their living by selling cigarettes and alcohol in Poland. Some of them manage to make several trips to Poland a day, making $10-15. The planned introduction of visa requirements is expected to drive border shuttle traders out of the business and force them to apply to the employment center. The need to have a visa to enter Poland may also increase social tensions at local enterprises. To avoid layoffs, many factories in Brest send workers on leave without pay. These workers, as well as many teachers, rely on border trade for living. The city authorities told BelaPAN that they did not plan any special measures to ease possible social tensions after the introduction of visa requirements.