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Economic Potential
The ¦l±skie Voivodeship belongs to the group of the most
industrialised
regions in Poland. Here, 13.7% of the Gross National Product (GNP) is
produced, which places the Voivodeship at the second position in
Poland. The GNP calculated per 1 inhabitant equals 22.6 TPLN and is
higher that the country's average by 2.2 TPLN.
The transformations observed in the economy is evidenced by the
distinct change in the stricture of the gross added value produced in
the region (the newly-produced value). Currently, the share of the
market and non-market services equals 61.1%, which – when
compared to
1999 – gives the growth by 4.1%.
The ¦l±skie Voivodeship possesses numerous natural resources that,
among others, comprise: hard coal, zinc and lead deposits, methane,
natural gas beds, marl, limestone, natural aggregate deposits as well
as healing, thermal and mineral waters. On the basis of the existing
raw material base, an industrial district, the largest in Poland, has
been established here. There are 38 active had cola-mines in the
region, 25 steel-works and metallurgical works, 21 powers plants and
heat & power stations. Within the industry branch structures,
just behind the hard coal mining, its is the metallurgy that is the
predominant sector.
Currently, the hard coal mining and iron and steel
industry are subject
to thorough restructuring process. The transformations that take place
in the mining results not only in the increase in the employment from
243,000 people in 1997 to 131,000 in 2003 and the improvement of
effectiveness, but also the fundamental changes in the ownership form
and management structure.
The restructuring processes in the metallurgy ran faster that in the
mining. They resulted in the branch almost entire
privatisation.
Along with the changes in the mining and metallurgy, also the whole
fuel & power engineering complex is being restructured. Owing
to the large concentration of industry, the ¦l±skie Voivodeship is the
second producer of the electric energy in Poland (19.7 % of the
national production) and its largest recipient.
On the basis of the industry branches, traditional in the ¦l±skie
Voivodeship, the branches connected with their service have been
developed, i.e. first of all, the modern stock industry, with the
relevant stock and experienced staff. After the transformation
difficulties at the beginning of the 1990s, this industry began to
exist on the foreign markets and nowadays it is an important element of
the Voivodeship’s economic landscape.
The restructuring processes, taking place for the last few years,
result in the systematic changes in the Voivodeship’s economy
structure. The share of mining and metallurgy, the branches that not so
long ago were still predominant in the Voivodeship’s economy,
is decreasing in the whole industry. The position of the electrical
engineering, information technology, power engineering industry is
increasing and the automotive (the region is the largest car
manufacturer in Poland) and food industry is growing at the fastest
pace.
The ¦l±skie Voivodeship’s share in the
national production sold equals
17.2%, of which 62% falls within the private sector.
In the ¦l±skie Voivodeship, there are over 424,000
national economy
registered entities of which the self-employed natural persons are the
largest group of 33.1 thousands as well as the commercial law
partnerships – 23,500 (of which 4,100 are the foreign capital
companies). The number of the state-owned enterprises – 246
– is the smallest one.
Within the general number of the business entities in the region, 96.1%
falls within the private sector, i.e. 11.8% of the domestic entities.
The vast majority of the private sector regional entities runs the
service market activity (71.5%). Also, the companies from the industry
and building engineering sector have a significant share in the market
(20.7%) as well as the non-market services (6.5%).
The national economy entities as per the type
of activity in 2003
Within the ¦l±skie Voivodeship, there are 12.1% of
Poland’s R
& D potential – the second largest centre in Poland.
It comprises 112 units, including 36 scientific and research &
development units (of which 6 divisions of the Polish Academy of
Sciences), 46 development units and 14 schools of higher education,
doing research.
The activity of the research & development
institutions focuses
predominantly on the environment protection, power engineering, control
engineering and electronics as well as on building engineering.
In order to enhance the co-operation between the
research & development sphere and economy, in the Voivodeship,
there are 3 scientific and industrial consortia:
- The Silesian Centre for Advanced Technologies
- The Centre for Advanced Technologies
Energy-Environment-Health
- The Centre for Advanced Technologies for Health
Promotion and Protection
* GERD: Gross Domestic Expenditure on
R&D – the total amount of the internal expenditure
incurred in the relevant year on the R & D activity by all the
unit carrying out the activity in the relevant year
** data for 2002, The Statistical Yearbook of the Voivodeships, The
Main Statistical Office, 2004, the Statistical Yearbook of the ¦l±skie
Voivodeship, The Statistical Office, 2004, Science and Technology in
2005, The Main Statistical Office, 2005
In terms of the number of the entities operating in the high technology
branches, the Voivodeship places itself among the leaders in Poland. In
the region, the high number of micro-enterprises is observed (employing
less than 10 people), running such business activity as the production
of medical and surgical equipment as well as orthopaedic tools,
television, radio transmitters as well as for telephone communication
and wireless telegraphy and the production of measurement, control,
research, navigation instruments and tools, etc. Along with the
development of the high technologies, the growth and quality of the
teleinformation services is beginning to be of high significance. This
results from the necessity to execute the investment projects
associated with the information technology infrastructure as well as
software. |
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