Changes in the Labor Market in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Occupations Desired by Employers in the Polish Labor Market

Abstract

The contemporary business environment is very dynamic. Only two years ago, the factor that determined changes in organizations the most was the technological progress – mass digitization of processes combined with progressive automation and robotization. Currently, the situation has changed a lot. Today's economy has to cope with another crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and exacerbated by Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. The pandemic caused worldwide social and economic disruption, including the deepest global recession since the Great Depression. The pandemic also brought changes to the labor market and work environment. The most visible impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work environment was the spread of remote work. In this article, the main subject of consideration will be the issues of occupations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main objective is to assess the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market. The analysis covered 2019-2023 and was based on secondary and primary research. The unemployment rate and the Occupational Barometer were analyzed. In-depth interviews with employment agents and career advisors were conducted. The conducted analyses and research showed that the changes in the labor market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were temporary. The most significant changes occurred during the first year of the pandemic. Today, after the cessation of the epidemic threat and the revocation of the pandemic, the situation in the labor market has returned to normal - to the pre-pandemic state. The only change in the labor market that has not returned to the pre-pandemic state is the number of people working remotely.