The process of precarisation of labour and the labour market in Poland in the period of political transformation

Who are the people who lead a “precarious existence on the periphery of societies”? They are the social group (and research category) which has gained considerable publicity in the social sciences in recent years – the precariat. This phenomenon can be observed mainly in the most developed countries of the “rich north,” accustomed to a certain standard of living and social security. Although the process of precarisation of labour began several decades ago, discussion of its effects reverberated during the analysis of the damage caused by the “crime of mass economic extermination” that was the economic crisis of 2008. what has changed? On the wave of social protest, public attention to the problem of insecure livelihoods, growing unemployment and economic inequalities, the precariat ceased to be a pe- ripheral group and became a concept defining the essence of the majority of the modern societies.

In this context, the question should be asked whether, and to what extent, all the factors influencing the process of precarisation of labour can be identified in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Can the Polish experience, connected with the specificity of economic transfor- mation, be a factor which, to a large extent, shapes our perception of the political transformation? Significant changes that took place on the labour market in Poland in the 1990s are related to the transformation of the Polish economy which began at the end of 1989.

Link to the article

I. Andruszkiewicz, E. Kania, The Process of Precarisation of Labour and the Labour Market in Poland
in the Period of Political Transformation, in: “Getting Europe back to work Crisis (re)production and crisis overcoming in Europe”, edited by T. Brańka and J. Skrzypczyńska, pp. 176-195.