Poland's jobless rate increased to its highest level in more than two years in January, official statistics have revealed.

Labor minister Jolanta Fedak disclosed that the European country's unemployment rate rose by 0.9 per cent to 12.8 per cent In January thanks to a combination of seasonal and economic factors, Reuters reported.

In 2008, Poland's jobless total also jumped significantly in January - with subzero temperatures and heavy snowfall traditionally having an effect on employment at the beginning of the year.

However, Marcin Mroz, chief economist at Fortis Bank, suggested that other factors should also be taken into account.

He told the news agency: "The economic recovery is still too weak to generate demand for work, while the winter months usually bring a rise in the jobless rate.

"So we have both cyclical and seasonal factors that push unemployment higher."

Poland is the only economy in the European Union to have avoided a decline in gross domestic product in 2009 - recording growth of 1.7 per cent.