COVID-19 Pandemic as a Change Factor in the Labour Market in Poland

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic started in late 2019 in China. and At the beginning of 2020 it spread to all countries of the world, causing damage in all aspects of economic and social lives, including the labour market. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labour market throughout its course so far has become an important topic of research in various countries, including Poland. Research is conducted in four main areas concerning: the situation of employees and employers on the labour market; unemployment and professional activity; remote work; and anti-crisis measures undertaken by the state. The paper refers to all these aspects of the labour market in Poland, in some cases against the background of other countries. Based on the source literature, the pandemic is presented from different perspectives: as a cause of the global crisis; the implications of the pandemic on the labour market; its impact on employers and employees and on the economy and society more broadly; government programmes aimed at preventing and combating the pandemic in the form of so-called anti-crisis shields and financial shields; and the spread of remote work and its effects. The paper also presents the results of its own survey research on a sample of 170 respondents, representing people active in the labour market in April 2022. The pandemic has caused disruptive, immediate and long-term effects on the labour market in Poland. The anti-crisis policy of the state mitigated quite effectively the negative economic and social effects, noticeably more so and additionally more appreciated by employers than by employees. The case of Poland, where broad anti-pandemic and anti-crisis measures were undertaken, may be partly applicable to other, mainly European, countries. Further research on the crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in different aspects of socio-economic areas in national and international economies are recommended. The pandemic, in causing a general economic crisis, has left a permanent mark on the labour market in Poland, which will be structurally important for its functioning in the future.