Persons who are at least 18 years of age and have not reached retirement age, who are not employed and not engaged in other paid work, who are able and available to take up full-time employment, as well as persons with disabilities, who are able and available to take up at least half-time employment, who are registered with a powiat labour office and who are seeking employment or other paid work, with additional exemptions for sources of income specified in the Act.

Unemployed persons include persons who are not attending school, with the exception of persons attending an adult school, stage II sectoral vocational school on a full-time or part-time basis, a post-secondary school on a full-time or part-time basis, or taking external examinations in the curriculum of an adult school or a stage II sectoral vocational school, or studying on a part-time basis, or attending an art school providing only art education.

• The long term unemployed
• Unemployment benefit