Institutional changes in labour relations in Poland

Abstract

Contemporary labour market is subject to profound changes, such as the increase in the importance of short-term relations between employee and employer, transformation in the very nature of the employer, automation of many jobs. Changes in global work require permanent monitoring whether the institutional model of labor relations is adequate to the changing reality. An element of this model are legally sanctioned groups that can consult and negotiate the existing formal framework for cooperation. The aim of the article is to present the direction of institutional changes in the model of labor relations in Poland. Analysis focused on formal definitions of the major players operating in this market. The conducted studies (desk research) were based on ILO formal documents. The article presents proposed changes in the classification of labor market participants. The article highlights the increase in the importance of self-employment, and the increasingly less representative nature of organizations recognized so far as the main actors of labour market – trade unions and employers’ organizations. It has been proved that the definitions and classifications of major players used on the traditional labor market are not sufficient to monitor the current trends of this market.