OCCUPATIONAL SITUATION OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGE. EXAMPLE OF THE POLISH LABOR MARKET

Abstract

The right to equal treatment in the workplace of all employees is regulated by both EU directives and the Labor Code. Despite this, in the labor market in particular age groups we can find behaviors characterized by adultism or ageism, the main division of which is not only a specific age but also the way of thinking, behavior or views of a given group of people. The problem of unequal treatment of employees in different age groups by employers and co-workers is increasingly raised in the available literature, and according to researchers, these behaviors are called age discrimination.

The aim of the work is to understand and assess the professional situation of people of different ages on the Polish labor market, with particular emphasis on people aged 15 to 24 and aged 45+. The study attempts to answer the question whether the situation of young and mature people is difficult on the labor market and whether they are discriminated against.

To carry out the analysis, data from the Central Statistical Office were used, in particular the professional activity rate, employment rate and unemployment rate with separation of age groups.

The empirical research carried out, in particular the analysis of the professional activity rate, employment rate and unemployment rate, graphical analysis method and simple statistical measures, proved that the only sensitive age group in the labor market are people between 15 and 24 years of age, so it can be found in the Polish labor market behaviors characterized by adultism. It was not found that older people were more often unemployed, less frequently employed or less professionally active than the production group. The observations about age discrimination presented in the literature, called ageism, are not reflected in the analyzes conducted.