Voivodeship and poviat labour offices, which are a part of public employment services, provide assistance to the unemployed or jobseekers in finding appropriate occupation and to employers in finding appropriate workers.

Citizens of the EU/EFTA Member States and their family members who are not EU/EFTA citizens, but are registered with a poviat labour office, receive assistance in line with the same principles as Polish citizens.

Financial and non-financial support provided by labour offices to facilitate access to employment includes job placement services, career counselling and trainings, as well as implementation of subsidised employment programmes. Poviat labour offices pay out unemployment benefits and acquire and manage funds for combating unemployment and for activities on the local labour market.

Voivodeship labour offices act also as the competent institution for acceptance and examination of requests submitted by unemployed for issue of documents on unemployment benefits. They issue certificates on insurance and employment periods in Poland for submission to relevant authorities in other EU/EFTA Member State in order to apply for unemployment benefit in those countries.

Voivodeship labour offices issue documents authorising the transfer of unemployment benefits received in Poland to other EU/EFTA Member States. The also issue decisions on entitlements to unemployment benefits, if the employment period aboard (in the EU/EFTA Member States) has an impact on acquisition or amount of benefits, or the period for which they are granted.