The unemployment rate among women in Poland has hit an all-time low, falling below the men's unemployment, the Puls Biznesu daily wrote.

Women's joblessness has - until now - been consistently higher than that of men since comparable data from the EU’s statistics agency, Eurostat, were first made available in 1997.

A reverse trend was first registered in May when the female unemployment rate dropped below five percent. The chief causes of the shift are higher employment among women and a baby boom.

The birthrate in Poland rose in June by seven percent compared to the same month a year earlier. The increased number of births was spurred by a programme of government benefits for families, the families' minister said.

A government flagship 500+ programme gives parents handouts of PLN 500 (EUR 117) per child a month. (aba/vb)