Dylematy bezrobocia transformacyjnego w Polsce

The article looks at the meaning of “transformation unemployment” and evaluates the issue with reference to Poland. The trajectory of transformation unemployment is described, as are other important labour market issues including the structure of the country’s sectors and hiring in the Polish economy after 1990. Theoretical perspectives from the literature on the subject are also presented. The study makes use of data from the Central Statistical Office database on unemployment and hiring in Poland from 1990 to 2007. On the basis of the analysis it may be concluded that in comparison with more developed countries Poland’s level of unemployment remains too high, which in part can be attributed to the continued maintenance of structural transformation unemployment. This form of unemployment has become a lasting element in the theoretical discussion on the processes of system transformation in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including in Poland. In spite of numerous studies it remains difficult to point to a set of homogenous factors that account for the intensifying of this phenomenon. It would seem more appropriate to discuss specific characteristics from each country of the analysed region.