Famous global and European companies are present in the economic landscape of the region. There are 6,148 commercial companies with foreign capital in the region (as of June 30, 2022). In terms of the number of entities with foreign capital, the region ranks third in the country. Due to the type of economic activity, the largest group consisted of units from the following sections: trade, repair of motor vehicles, industrial processing, professional, scientific, and technical activities, construction, and real estate services.

Wielkopolska Region is one of the leading regions with the highest investment attractiveness in Poland. The strengths of the region in this context are the size and quality of the labor market resources, market absorption, transport accessibility, developed economic infrastructure and the general level of economic development.

Steady increase in the dynamics of exports and decreasing imports:

The European Union countries remain the most important recipient countries for the region's exports. The most important recipients of goods exported by companies from Wielkopolska are the Federal Republic of Germany, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Sweden. The export offer of Wielkopolska was assessed as competitive - products sold by companies located in the region successfully compete on foreign markets. The ability to compete does not appear to result from a temporary increase in demand or an economic recovery, but it is of a permanent nature.

The leading countries of origin of Wielkopolska imports are the Federal Republic of Germany (nearly 1/3 of all imports), the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Great Britain, and Belgium. The most important among the imported products are motor vehicles, parts and accessories for motor vehicles and their engines, drugs and pharmaceutical products, plastics in primary forms, plates, sheets, plastic pipes, and profiles, cast iron, steel and ferroalloys, lighting equipment and electric lamps, metal products, paper and cardboard, and aluminum and aluminum products.

Expansion of the subzones of Wielkopolska Special Economic Zones and business support centers

Every year, the largest amount of funds for investments goes to the industrial sector. The production of motor vehicles, machines, electrical equipment, and furniture also has a strong position. To fully use the region's potential, local governments have created economic zones and investment parks where investors find excellent logistic and technical facilities for their activities and receive tax reliefs.

Special Economic Zones (SEZ) were established primarily to accelerate the economic development of regions, develop post-industrial assets and infrastructure, create new jobs, and attract foreign investors to Poland. Thus, SEZs constitute an instrument of regional development, and their expansion of their potential takes place in close cooperation with regional boards and zone managers. There are currently sub-zones of six Special Economic Zones in the Wielkopolska Region: Kamiennogórska, Kostrzyńsko-Słubicka, Łódzka, Pomorska, Słupska and Wałbrzyska "Invest Park". The leading industries are household appliances, ceramic, wood, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical, metal, automotive, plastic packaging, paper, printing, production of PVC windows and doors, production of car and bus windows, transport and logistics services, rubber products and plastics.

Innovation centers and business incubators play an important role in supporting economic initiatives in the region, the network of them in the Wielkopolska Region includes 14 units (technology transfer centers, business incubators, technology incubators, academic business incubators and science and technology parks).

ECONOMY OF THE WIELKOPOLSKA REGION
(selected indicators)

Economic activity of the population in the Wielkopolska Region

• In the first quarter of 2022, the economically active group comprised 1,656,000 people, there were 1,115 thousand economically inactive, i.e., 0.3% less than in the first quarter of 2021. The professional activity rate is 59.8%, while the employment rate is 58.6%.

Indicators of the general economic situation of the region

• Labor productivity in industry, measured by the value of sold production per 1 employee, in December 2021 amounted to PLN 57.1 thousand (in current prices), i.e., by 13.8% more (in constant prices) than in the previous year
• Labor productivity in construction, measured by the value of production sold per one employee in this section, in December 2021 amounted to PLN 104.3 thousand and was by 30.1% higher than that recorded a year before.
• The value of retail sales by commercial and non-commercial enterprises remains high (in June 2022 it increased by 23.3%, as compared to the corresponding period in 2021).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of the corporate sector

• in the Wielkopolska Region, less than 1% of the surveyed entities indicate the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor causing significant changes in the conduct of business, with the retail trade struggling with the greatest difficulties.

Entities of the national economy in the REGON register

• In December 2021, the REGON register for the Wielkopolska Regio included 477.4 thousand entities of the national economy (excluding persons running private farms in agriculture). During the year their number increased by 3.5% (in Poland by 3.7%). In June 2022, the number was 483.2 thousand, including 352.6 thousand self-employed natural persons. The number of companies amounted to over 87.0 thousand (including 60.5 thousand commercial companies and 26.3 thousand civil partnerships). Entities with more than 49 employees constitute 0.7% of all entities entered in the REGON register. Profitability of turnover in enterprises amounts to 6.3% gross (5.5% net).

Average employment in the enterprise sector

• in December 2021 it amounted to 830.1 thousand persons and increased slightly, as compared to November 2021 - by 0.1% and by 2.0% (December 2020). However, in June 2022 it amounted to 851.5 thousand people (an increase of 3.3%, as compared to the corresponding period in 2021). Traditionally, the sectors with the highest employment level the Wielkopolska Region are manufacturing (38.1%), trade; repair of motor vehicles (33.1%) as well as transport and warehouse management (10.3%). The sector of the economy with the lowest level of employment are still mining and mineral extraction (0.42% of the total number of employees).

General characteristics of registered unemployment

• Wielkopolska Region is characterized by the lowest unemployment level in Poland. At the end of December 2021, there were 49.9 thousand unemployed in the records of poviat labor offices, which constituted 5.6% of the total number registered in Poland (in June 2022 - 44.2 thousand). The unemployment rate is 2.7% (June 2022), still showing a downward trend, which is 2.1 percentage points below the national average.

Foreigners in the labor market of the Wielkopolska Region

• In the fourth quarter of 2021, the number of declarations on entrusting work to foreigners registered with the State Employment Office amounted to 45 990 - employers mainly applied for employment of citizens of Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus.

Salaries

• average monthly gross wages and salaries in the enterprise sector in December 2021 amounted to PLN 5,790.45, which meant an increase by 11.2%, as compared to December 2020, when the level of wages and salaries increased by 4.2% monthly, and on an annual basis - by 4.7%. The amount of remuneration in June 2022 was PLN 5,811.46. The average monthly salary maintains an upward trend over the year (the increase recorded in June 2022 was 12.2%). The sectors of the economy with the highest level of gross remuneration are information and communication (176% of the average remuneration), production and supply of electricity and other heat carriers (156%) and professional, scientific, and technical activities (137%). On the other hand, the lowest salaries are paid in the accommodation and catering sector (72%).