The article refers to the right to work of people with disabilities. The author explains the meaning of the terms “disabled person”, “disability” in the context of international regulations and national legislation. He also points to the foundations of the right to work in the context of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, as well as the Act on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities. The author draws attention to international regulations of the UN and ILO in this field. The article outlines the realization of this right in the context of employment of people with disabilities in protected labor market entities and on the so-called open labor market.

Foreigners on the Polish labor market constitute a small percentage of all employees. However, since 2016 – that is, since the introduction of the “500+ program” – a dynamic increase in this group of employees has been observed, which suggests the growing demand for work of economic immigrants in Poland. In the population of working foreigners, the citizens of Ukraine constitute the most numerous group. Data from the World Bank, the Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology, the Social Insurance Institution and the Supreme Chamber of Control allowed the author to outline the social situation of economic immigrants in Poland, and to show that Poland is (among others) an economically attractive place to work, especially for Ukrainian citizens. The analysis of statistical data prompted the author to ask the question: Who are those who hide behind the numbers? The answer to this question was provided by biographical and narrative interviews conducted in a Ukrainian family. The conclusion resulting from the comprehensive analysis of the empirical material indicates that the Polish state in its internal policy with insufficient care protects the economic and cultural rights of economic immigrants and their children.

The aim of the paper is to present strategies for minimising negative effects of the crisis caused by COVID-19 by state authorities of non-European countries in the first months after the announcement of the pandemic. The focus is on employment and labour market policy instruments. The research is comparative in its nature and was conducted using the desk research and discourse analysis methods. The source/unit in the analysis were the rapid assessments of the employment impacts of COVID-19 submitted to the International Labour Organisation. The study did not cover European Union Member States. Among the instruments and countermeasures typical of employment and labour market policies, few innovative solutions were identified, tailored to local specifics and taking into account the effects of the pandemic – the ecological crisis and the emergence of technological unemployment. The results achieved implicate a number of further questions relevant for public policy research. Research shows that COVID-19 contributes to deepening of the polarisation of society and existing labour market policy instruments in countries will not be sufficient to stop social exclusion due to unemployment especially in countries with a predominantly informal economy. Meanwhile, a category of people has emerged, due to the suspension of business activities and internal migration, whose status is also “suspended” (liminal) between work and unemployment.

Pandemia COVID-19 jest czynnikiem, który może w znaczącym stopniu zmienić sytuację na rynku pracy w Polsce. Obecnie – choć poza sporem pozostaje to, że takie przekształcenia nastąpią – można jednakże mówić raczej o pewnych prognozach co do przewidywanych kierunków i stopnia możliwych modyfikacji w tym zakresie, a finalny ich stan będzie efektem tak czasu trwania swoistego „zawieszenia” działalności szeregu firm, ale i pracowników, jak i efektywności podejmowanych działań – zarówno w sferze medycznej, jak i ekonomicznej, czy społecznej. Przedstawiony artykuł jest jednym z głosów w dyskusji na wskazany temat, toczącej się w przestrzeni publicznej, której celem jest nie tylko wskazanie potencjalnych wektorów rozwoju rynku pracy w trakcie i po trwającej pandemii, ale także zidentyfikowanie jego głównych problemów. Bowiem to właśnie w okresach znacznego pogorszenia koniunktury ujawniają się nieprawidłowości i zaniedbania, które mogą mieć istotny wpływ na rynek pracy i jego uczestników.

The concept of flexicurity has been a key issue in the discussions and activities of institutions of the European Union in the field of employment and social policy for about two decades. The purpose of this article is to analyze the idea of flexicurity in the context of responsibility for development of the labour market. The responsibility is mostly transferred to the state and employees, while the employers are exempt from accountability for the social costs associated with the fluctuations in the economic cycle. The article contains the analysis of the labour market flexibilisation process and its compensation with the security system, critical approach to flexicurity models and challenges associated with the implementation of this concept.

Changes in Social and Political Order and Their Impact on the Democracy

This article analyzes the rise and diffusion of the radical changes in the fields of international relations and social security that pose a challenge for capitalist representative democracy. This concept reflects the simple idea that the era characterized by strong global economic influences, worldwide aging population, longevity and longer life expectancy, changing labor markets, migration, technological and communications developments, mobility and transportation gives no reason to believe in representative democracy as the future of the world. This article suggests a new point of view on the discussion of the factors that mostly influence social order, social security, labor markets and democracy.

Features of the movement of the intellectual capital in market conditions

The article examines the nature, types and features of the motion of intellectual capital.

Problems and ways of optimization of the intellectual migratory transformations

The article describes the role and influence of intellectual migration in the socio-economic development of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The article is a review of the European approach to economic policy, taking into account the feature of gender, so-called gender mainstreaming. It analyses the legislative achievements of the European Union in this area and domestic solutions. There is also compared the situation of women and men in the European labor market, with particular emphasis on Danish and Polish examples, and the causes and consequences of gender inequality in economic decision-making. Identification of barriers to the implementation of gender equality in the social, economic and political aspects as well as possibile ways of their elimination is also attempted.

Selected areas of women’s functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland (compared to European Union countries)

The aim of the research is to analyze research reports, articles and diaries showing how women function during the COVID-19 pandemic. The subject of my analyzes was quantitative and qualitative data showing differences in the functioning of women and men during the pandemic, along with their real and potential consequences from the perspective of gender equality. Although I was mainly interested in the situation of women in the text, the adopted perspective of gender equality required me to often (for comparative purposes) compile data regarding men. The article attempts to answer the question: What changes in particular areas of women’s social functioning have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? I decided to use nonreactive research using the method of analyzing existing data. My research shows that the Covid pandemic has caused unfavorable changes from the perspective of gender equality, not only in Poland, but also in other countries belonging to the European Union. Women suffered health consequences, felt exhausted by their duties and returned to stereotypical social roles. Despite the attempts to eliminate gender inequality in European Union countries (including Poland), the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reversed progress in these activities.