PROPUESTA DE MANUAL

Despite a gradual improvement taking place on the labour market, the employment ratio in Poland continues to be the lowest among all EU countries. A problem of key importance is full and appropriate utilisation of the human capital and labour resources standard to have it enhance economic growth, competitiveness and innovativeness of the Polish economy, reducing disproportions in growth between Poland and the EU, and particular regions. The strategic objective set up by NSRF conforms to provi− sions of the Lisbon Strategy and is comprised in priority 1.3defined in CSGconcerning More and better jobs. Additionally the objective involves recommendation concerning the development of human capital, which are emphasised by CSG guidelines in support of increasing professional activity and raising the employment level (1.3.1), enhancing adaptation abilities of employees and enterprises and flexibility of labour markets (1.3.2), increasing investments in human capital through better education and improved qualifications (1.3.3). Striving at improvement of the human capital standard and social cohesion measures are focused concurrently on the European Employment Strategy and its objectives, which comprise achievement of full employment, improving labour standard and effectiveness, as well as strengthening

social cohesion and reducing social exclusion33_{. An indispensable element for all the undertaken meas−} ures could be to take into consideration assuring equal opportunities – propagation of equal opportuni− ties for women and men, persons in an inferior situation, including persons with disabilities. Concurrent− ly, particular importance could be gained by fighting discrimination and integration of immigrants and minorities.

Improving the education standard of the society and improving the education level

As was shown by the diagnosis of development conditions, in the past few years a value of human capital in Poland is the growing education level of the young generation and better readiness of becom− ing adapted to changing economic conditions. A shortcoming is the low education or inadequate adap− tation of the capabilities to the needs of the contemporary labour market, especially among older persons. Intensification and hastening economic integration processes in the European Union, increasing foreign investments and progressing changes in the employment structure, without active measures in the scope of education, supplementing projects related to the labour market, may still enhance those adverse processes.

In the forthcoming years the fundamental objective of the growth strategy pursuant to Guideline 1.3.3 defined in CSG Increase investment in human capital through better education and skills, decreas− ing the number of persons the main problem of whom in entering the labour market or maintaining a position on it is the absence of adequate education, or limiting the number of persons with mismatched professional capabilities. The achievement of a suitable education standard would comprise all age groups. On the one hand it would be focused on guiding the choice of the educational path connected with the future profession, as regards young people – those who are about to enter the labour market. In such a context particular attention would be paid to measures addressed to young people (youth centres and organisations) including those encountering difficulties in access to education. And on the other hand this will also concern older persons who experience difficulties in maintaining their position on the labour market due to their not having appropriate qualifications, as well as the same category of persons who not only because of age but also due to their low education level have problems with finding employment.

As regards education a policy shall be executed which is mainly based on Guideline 23 Expand and improve investment in human capital and Guideline24 Adapt of education and training systems in response to new competence requirements defined inIG. In the forthcoming years measures shall be executed which would help increase accessibility of education on all education levels, linking education with requirements of the labour market, improving the standard of offered education services and effectiveness of education.

The specific situation of Poland as compared to EU as regards accessibility of educational services enforces taking into consideration the role of education already at the stage of access to pre−school education, first of all on rural areas. An important element in increasing the number of persons with appropriate professional qualifications would be assuring appropriate conditions for education on higher education levels, i.e. secondary and higher education, particularly taking into account pupils and students coming from rural areas, urban areas afflicted by poverty, families with social and upbringing dysfunctions and persons with disabilities.

A part of the graduates, despite their acquired education, has difficulties with finding jobs. The present education model to an unsatisfactory degree takes into account actual expectations of the labour market. Competency based mismatching of supply and demand for work is one of the reasons for such a phenomenon. Consequently there is a need of more rational stimulation of paths for educational

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development selected by young persons and having them adapted to requirements of the labour mar− ket. This would be possible through working out tools for evaluation of consequences of measures undertaken in the sphere of education and higher education. Appropriately strengthened system of internal exams would assure reliable information concerning education results. The above system sup− port would as an effect support pupils and students in making choices of the future career, which assures finding a job and linked with implementation of individual abilities, needs and interests. Along with the process of having schools prepared to focusing on needs of modern economy, it may be presumed that the most important challenges faced by the education system in Poland should include continuation of undertakings connected with raising the education standard. The execution of those provisions would be taking place through measures concentrated on rationalisation of management of processes and institutions that form the education system in Poland. A crucial element of the strategy of raising the education standard is additionally establishing the framework for effective functioning and raising competences of the teaching staff (including also the academic staff) and administrative staff that manage the education system. It is of importance to improve broadly understood competencies of the scientific sector staff, including also with respect to managerial abilities and commercialisation of results of research and development works, which would allow their utilisation in the economy.

An integral part of measures executed in the sphere of education would be delivery of Guideline 1.3.2 Improve adaptability of workers and enterprises and flexibility of the labour market defined in CSG. In modern economy participants of the labour market must be to an increasing extent prepared to life− long learning – both in a situation of technological changes and innovations, as well as consequences of occurring changes which result from processes of economic restructuring. To enable Polish employees to maintain their position on the labour market and to allow them extension of their careers, in the forthcoming years it will be necessary to establish a system and culture of life long learning through execution of projects in support of the learning process in all forms and expressions of human activity. Increasing investments in the human capital through life long learning will be one of the responses to Guideline 17 Implement employment policies aiming at achieving full employment, improving quality and productivity at work, and strengthening social and territorial cohesion. It is necessary to assure such attitudes of employees that their decisions concerning a change of qualifications or improvement of skills had a professional character and were pro−active. The cohesion policy will be addressed at supporting lifelong vocational schooling designated for groups of employees, including in particular SMEs, involved in industries of high risk of the economy, and as regards situations in given voivodships – in sectors that predetermine competitiveness of regional economy, creation and improved functioning of the counselling and training system designated for groups of employees in sectors with particularly low qualification level, such as agriculture, mining industry, textile industry and automotive industry.

Within the framework of this objective all measures shall be directed at practical fulfilment of the equal opportunity rule.

Active policy of the labour market

As regards the demographic aspect, Poland has a significant increase in labour resources and a marked unemployment rate, which is the highest in EU, and which will probably remain on this high level. Additionally there is a large scale phenomenon of concealed unemployment and the “grey zone”. The high unemployment rate and the low level of professional activity and employment indicators diverge considerably from levels set out by the Lisbon Strategy. Indicators concerning young people are highly unfavourable – those entering the labour market and older people, with low professional qualifica− tions, as well as persons with some disabilities. The absence of satisfactory conditions for a start in life, first of all for the young generation has recently been leading to a considerable migration of people in search of education and jobs abroad, and the loss of job by older persons and remaining jobless over a longer time causes remaining passive professionally.

A basic condition for increasing employment and reducing unemployment – apart from making use of conditions for demand for work and improving the standard of labour supply, would include rationali− sation of the labour market which supports the dynamics of flows from the unemployment state to a job, from inactivity to employment, from school to work – pursuant to Guideline 1.3.1 Attract and retain more people in employment and modernise social protection systems defined inCSG. Increasing the share of employed persons in the total productive age population, inter alia with support of implementation of the labour market active policy, will be an indispensable component of the development strategy in the perspective of the few oncoming years, which will contribute to delivery of Guideline 17 Imple− ment employment policies aiming at achieving full employment, improving quality and productivity at work, and strengthening social and territorial cohesion. A determinant role in this scope would be played by labour market institutions, social welfare, which should be efficient, and which should be capable of quick and effective responding to challenges connected with economic and social restructuring. For this reason the measures should be based on supporting and rationalisation of labour market and social welfare institutions towards their effectiveness and to improve access to benefits offered by those institutions and high quality services – adapted to the actual needs and groups of beneficiaries.

The existence of effective institutions of the labour market and social welfare, which deliver the labour market active policy, is indispensable to support provision of services to persons who are seeking jobs, the unemployed, in the case of whom active labour market instruments in the first period of remain− ing jobless offers the best opportunity for leaving behind their unemployment and professional passivity for people whose activation tends as a rule to be a long lasting and costly process. It is also to guarantee conditions that would facilitate to persons employed in agriculture and industries under restructuring access to appropriate retraining and going over to other occupations and professions.

In the forthcoming years it will be necessary to make the labour market more flexible and to limit enticements to professional deactivation. Elimination of aid forms and methods favourable to passivity and helplessness and to the existence of the so−called ‘grey zone’ from the system must be accompa− nied by establishment of a modern system of social insurance and full enhancing of professionalism of the labour market institutions. Pursuant to guideline 20 Improve matching of labour market needs the elementary measures shall refer not only to enhancing the staff standard through development of the education system, but also the introduction of cooperation procedures between social welfare centres and job offices and employers to enable enhancing of professional and educational activity of persons who are beneficiaries of those institutions. An indispensable element of this strategy is to be a more effective anticipation of changes that take place on the labour market. The continuous changes and transformations impose on labour market and social welfare institutions the establishment of mecha− nisms of effective anticipating and better change management, including economic restructuring.

The measures described above shall enable applying on the labour market means that include early identification of needs, custom adapted services – assistance in job seeking, counselling and training, provision of social services in support of access to employment, etc. (pursuant to Guideline19 Ensure inclusive labour markets, enhance work attractiveness, and make work pay for job−seekers, including disadvantaged people, and the inactive). All measures in this scope would be supported by promoting and propagation of innovative and flexible forms of work organisation, including also tele− work, which help handling and coping with professional commitments with family duties, development of new work place sources, inter alia benefiting from social activity and entrepreneurship on the basis of Guideline 21 Promote flexibility combined with employment security and reduce labour market seg− mentation, having due regard to the role of the social partners.

Modernisation of social care systems and of the correct functioning of labour market systems would be accompanied by promotion of new approached to work compliant with human life cycles.

approach to work, is of particular importance, both in respect to creation of conditions that allow enhancing professional activity, especially that of women, as well as low employment indicators of older employees and youth.

Establishing conditions favourable to entrepreneurship

The vocational structure of the total employed population in Poland continues to diverge from the same values in EU member states. In the past years an increase took place in employment in the services sector at the cost of industry and agriculture, yet those transformations continue to be one of the challenges that face the Polish labour market. The low share in official employment is to some extent compensated by the “grey zone” which offers a relatively high number of jobs to persons with low professional qualifications, for whom unregistered work is the only possibility of obtaining some income.

Experience shows that one of the important delivery instruments of Guideline 1.3.1 Attract and retain more people in employment and modernise social protection systems defined inCSGand active policy of the labour marketis the creation of new work posts through development of entrepreneurship attitudes. This instrument is already being applied, albeit to an insufficient extent. The problem of unem− ployment and of implementation of the most effective methods for its overcoming would be one of crucial challenges in the development strategy.

In this scope the strategy would be related to educational measures and active policy of the labour market. Its range would comprise a broad group of potential beneficiaries – from persons interested in starting up their business operation and entrepreneurs to institutions that provide services and aid related to entrepreneurship.

Supporting entrepreneurship would proceed by means of creation of a friendly environment for all persons who intend to run their own business operation and support them in overcoming barriers that hinder employment. Delivery of Guideline 21 Promote flexibility combined with employment security and reduce labour market segmentation, having due regard to the role of the social partners within IG, would be taking place in this scope in the preliminary stage – counselling, training, etc., to allow acquiring knowledge and abilities necessary to establishing one’s own work place. Following this form of support, assistance would also include financial support in the initial period of company operation.

Taking into account increased competitiveness and the appearance of new technologies, which impose the need of adaptation both to the employees and enterprises, an integral element in creating conditions favourable to entrepreneurship would be support for already existing projects. It includes updating and improvement of qualifications and skills of the employees, as well as the establishment of an effective training system for personnel in enterprises; furthermore the adaptation potential of enterprises would be enhanced through support for new solutions related to work organisation and forms of labour.

Providing support to institutions which grant loans to entrepreneurs and persons who intend to commence their business activity, and which provide informatic and counselling services and run training offer databases for needs of enterprises and persons starting up their business operation would enable better access with offered services and support to enterprises.

Counteracting poverty and preventing social exclusion

In Poland the general increase in income and expenditures in the society is accompanied by inten− sified income situation diversification of the population, with a continued trend of increasing poverty. The differentiation of problems depends on the specific nature of the particular region. In agglomerations and in major cities the problems of drug addicts, criminality and homelessness are intensified. On the other hand in poorer rural regions recorded are pathological situations connected with absence of prospective

jobs, especially for persons with a lower education level. A negative element is the phenomenon of poverty passing over successive generations. In all milieus there is the problem of exclusion of persons with considerable and severe disabilities. Another problem, arising because of cultural disparity of ethnical minorities, is the professional and social alienation of the Roma people.

To reflect objectives of the Lisbon Strategy, in the forthcoming years measures would be delivered which would be aimed at enhancing social cohesion. A basic element of such delivery is appropriate ability of responding to social needs and elimination of factors favourable to intensification of disparities, and as a consequence leading to professional passiveness, poverty and social exclusion. Projects aimed at enhancing social integration are an element which fits first of all in Guideline 1.3.1 Attract and retain more people in employment and modernise social protection systems stipulated in CSG.In this respect the cohesion policy would be focused on persons in a disadvantageous situation resulting from a long period with no professional activity and persons who have discontinued their school education. Appro− priate support would also be provided to persons who are under special risk of social exclusion due to their disability, cultural and ethnical differences.

Social integration and counteracting poverty and social exclusion would be taking place first of all through assuring access to education and professional training. This would be accompanied by provid− ing necessary social services in support of access to jobs for persons excluded from the labour market