External environment of an organization and professional competencies of employees in Poland

Abstract

The situation in the labour market was beneficial for the job seekers during the period before the disruptions associated with the closure of the economy due to the threats posed by the global pandemic. According to Statistics Poland, in 2018 and 2019, unemployment in Poland fell to the lowest level observed since 1990, so it can be assumed that employees were in charge of the labour market. However, the changes in the labour market occur in real time and their pace and scope are comparable to the greatest economic crises in the history of not only Poland but also the whole world. What is interesting, in such conditions, economy 4.0 sectors are developing dynamically – which, as it turns out, can be a huge opportunity for employees who will lose their jobs. A question needs to be asked: how should the competencies of employees change to meet the current requirements? Will there be a wave of individual restructuring in the market and, consequently, new opportunities for training companies? The article aims to present the changes forced by the external environment of an organisation in terms of employee competencies, taking into account the post-COVID changes towards economy 4.0.