In our rapidly changing world, adult skills are becoming a key resource—both for individual career opportunities and for the economy as a whole. We present a thematic report entitled ‘Skills in the Polish labour market’, which was based on data from the PIAAC 2023 Survey of Adult Skills conducted in Poland by the Educational Research Institute. The report addresses the relationship between skills and the labour market.
The PIAAC study, an OECD-coordinated survey of adults aged 16–65, provides detailed information on three important skills: literacy, numeracy and problem solving. The main results of the survey were published in December 2024 by the OECD and IBE PIB. The thematic report ‘Skills in the Polish labour market’ focuses on in-depth analyses of the relationship between skills and employment, wages and skills mismatches in the Polish labour market.
Employment structure and skill level
The results of the survey clearly show that higher competencies go hand in hand with a better professional situation. Employed people achieve higher results than unemployed or economically inactive people, which is particularly evident among people aged 35–50. The report draws attention to the problem of the unfavourable structure of the Polish labour market. Poland performs well in terms of overall employment levels, but older people remain less economically active than in other OECD countries. Furthermore, Poland stands out due to the relatively low percentage of people employed in highly-skilled professions and working in sectors with higher competence requirements. The changes in the occupational structure anticipated in labour market forecasts will increase competence requirements.
Skills vs. employment and wages
The level of earnings depends more on numeracy skills than on literacy skills—an increase in skills translates into higher earnings. In Poland, however, formal education plays a greater role than these skills. The specific characteristics of the profession and workplace are also of great importance. In addition, the report confirms gender differences to the disadvantage of women.
Skills mismatches
An important issue addressed in the report is skills mismatches. Compared to other OECD countries, the scale of such mismatches in Poland is small. The most common mismatches in Poland are over-qualifications (when employees have higher education than required for their job) and, above all, mismatches in the field of education (when employees work in a profession that is not related to the field in which they were educated, e.g., when a civil engineer works in marketing). Mismatches are associated with lower pay and lower job satisfaction.
Conclusions for education policy and the labour market
The report ‘Skills in the Polish labour market’ provides important information on the competence level of Polish employees and emphasises the need to invest in the development of skills needed in the labour market.
The full version of the report is available here. We encourage everyone interested in the future of the Polish labour market and the role of education in building a competitive economy to read it!
