Regional Convergence of Labor Productivity in Rural Sectors of Poland during 2003–2019

In this article, we present and assess the labor productivity changes that have occurred in Poland’s rural sectors since the country became a member of the European Union. The study is linked with the concept of convergence, which is one of the key goals of European integration. Convergence is when two or more things, ideas, or processes become similar. In an economic sense, convergence is the reduction of development disparities between countries, regions, or economic sectors. The aim of the work was to study the convergence of labor productivity in Poland’s rural economic sectors between 2003 and 2019. Since 2004, when Poland became a member of the European Union, the country has benefited from funds distributed via EU regional policies, aimed at economic and social cohesion, and attaining regional convergence of economic effects in the economies of rural areas. The theoretical background and research methodology of this article are based on the topic’s literature. Two forms of convergence (sigma convergence and beta convergence) were analyzed. Sigma convergence means a decrease in the dispersion and differentiation of labor productivity over time, and the essence of beta convergence is the faster development of less-developed regions, which results in catching up with the better-developed regions. The economic results of convergence processes, measured by the gross value added of agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fisheries, as well as the number of employed persons in these sectors, were obtained from the Local Data Bank. The distribution dynamics (of the gross value added per person working in a Polish rural sector) were assessed for 2003–2019 as well as for selected years and sub-periods. Statistical methods describing the state of differentiation of regions and the function of regression were used for analysis. The results are presented in figures and maps. The flows between the productivity groups of regions in five sub-periods were evidenced. The research confirmed the partial occurrence of labor productivity convergence in Poland’s rural sectors between 2003 and 2014—the period of a sizable flow of European Funds offered to rural areas in Poland, during the first two European Union financial perspectives. In the following years, the convergence process diminished due to different natural and socioeconomic reasons.