LABOUR MARKET POLARIZATION IN POLAND FROM 2008 TO 2016

Abstract

The article tests the hypothesis that the labour market in Poland has been polarised between 2008 and 2016 and makes an attempt at showing the course of the process across the regional labour markets. The database used in the research was compiled by merging data from labour force surveys and wage structure surveys conducted in 2008 and 2016. The article is structured as follows. Section 1 is a review of literature relating to the matter under consideration. In section 2, the research methodology and the data used are characterised. Section 3 presents the results of the investigation into employment and wage structures in Polish voivodeships and Macro-regions. In Section 4, the findings from the econometric analysis are discussed. The last section contains the main conclusions from the research. The conclusions are as follows. Firstly, in the period under study, wage changes in Poland formed a U-shaped pattern, similar to those observed inlabour markets in other development countries. Secondly, the econometric analysis revealed wage polarisation in Poland between 2008 and 2016. Thirdly, only the Śląskie voivodeship and the Southern Macroregion were found to be likely to have polarised wages in that period.