Flexibility and security in the labour market. Poland’s experience

By its accession to the European Union, Poland has joined the group of the countries with poor employmentof labour resources. Its indicators of unemployment and non-employment rates are among the highest of OECD countries. Since 1998, the Polish economy has suffered a net loss of jobs while the unemployment rate has doubled. Such a dramatic aggravation of the labour market raises questions: To what extent can the fall in employment and the rise in unemployment be related to a deterioration of the economy and to what extent should it be linked to restructuring and adaptation to EU standards? Does the Polish economy suffer more than other countries from institutional barriers that hinder the creation of new jobs and reallocation of workers? What role has social policy played in the process of stimulation of economic activity and labour force mobility? To what extent has social policy favoured social security and counteracted the growth of the army of people loosely associated with employment and the labour mark