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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PREPARATION
FOR FLEXIBLE FORMS OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE CONTEXT
OF CHANGES AND NEEDS OF THE JOB MARKET
A. Kulpa-Puczynska
A high level of unemployment, including a great percentage of unemployed youth, is a characteristic feature and at the same time a problem of the Polish job market. The youth unemployment in Poland is not only limited to people the most poorly educated and living in less urbanized regions. The present situation on the job market causes that even a university diploma does not guarantee employment although increases its probability. According to Polish employers this phenomenon may result from the lack of suitably qualified workers but also a decrease of the number of vocational schools. Moreover, in the present ‘market situation’ (a decreasing number of permanent jobs and development of untypical forms of employment, work flexibility and its spatial decentralization or individualization of employment) the chances of finding and holding a job are proportional not only to knowledge, skills and motivation of graduates of vocational schools but, to a great extent, depend on their enterprise, flexibility, creativity and mobility. The aim of this study is not to determine the state of preparation of students of vocational schools for flexible forms of employment and job organization but to try to answer the question: how significant this preparation is considering the changes on the contemporary job market?
Contemporary employment model and its basic characteristics
The model of employment functioning today has changed significantly mainly as a result of the need to adapt the ways of employment to the changing market environment. The unstable situation for business activity and a strong competition are decisive factors for employers who more and more often resign from an expensive model of permanent employment and choose a cheaper, more flexible one.1
A nonclasical model (flexible, changeable) is based mainly on untypical forms of employment and a flexible business structure which divides human resources into groups of workers flexible in terms of number, concentrated around a stable basic group, which realizes key and
1
U. Beck, Spofeczenstwo ryzyka. W drodze do innej nowoczesnosci, Warsaw 2004, p. 210 and following
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specific tasks for the particular organisation. Thus, this model aims at decreasing the number of permanent workers in favour of different category of peripheral workers (taken on if necessary). Thanks to this, the number of people doing odd and seasonal jobs is increasing and flexible forms of employment are becoming more common e.g. telemarketing, part-time work, flexible working hours.1 The untypical forms of work make it possible for the employers to improve flexibility of employment as well as more rationally utilise the work force, which is connected with lower unit costs and an improvement of general economic situation of companies, which in turn translates into the number of created new workplaces.1 2 The contemporary employment model requires the workers to have more than just specialist professional preparation. The right attitude becomes more important so that it favours workers availability, their flexibility, mobility (professional and spatial) as well as susceptibility to changes. These features cannot be acquired during a short course or training. Thus, it is justified to talk about the important role of vocational schools in preparing young people to changes in the area of employment and organisation of work. As K. Denek wrote “[...] because of great workers’ mobility resulting from constantly changing work content the conventional preparation for specific functions, activities and tasks is abandoned in favour of particular situations on the job market and related professions, which facilitates adaptation to changing needs of employment.”3
Flexible forms of employment and organisation of work in the practice of Polish companies
In Poland replacing the traditional model of hired labour by flexible forms of employment and organisation of work is not as popular as in other Western European countries, where such forms, since the 80’s, have systematically been more important. This has been favoured by both suitable legal regulations and specific programs which guarantee the improvement of the situation (financial, social and educational conditions) of people working in flexible forms of employment. Polish companies, however, will not be passed over by the world trends because the increase of the demand for untypical forms of employment is strongly connected with
1
E. Bqk, Elastyczne formy zatrudnienia, Warsaw 2006, p. 3 and 8-10
2 Z. Malara, Przedsiqbiorstwo w globalnej gospodarce. Wyzwania wspotczesnosci, Warsaw 2006, p. 214
3 K. Denek, Ku dobrej edukacji, Torun - Leszno 2005, p. 99-100
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economic and technological changes, processes of European integration and globalisation tendencies. According to E. Krynska the employers themselves start to see the possibility and need of gradual departure from the classical model of employment, being governed mainly by too high costs of employing (dismissing) workers and the stance that the size and structure of employment has to suit the overall economic situation of the country as well as the needs of companies.1
Striving for flexibility, the companies use two strategies: defensive (traditional) and offensive (dynamic). In the first case, flexibility is perceived mainly from the angle of reducing costs of work, which favours development of untypical work relations, low level of specialisation of the workforce, decentralisation of production and moving it to areas with lower cost of work. In case of offensive strategy, greater flexibility is achieved by a wider use of new technologies, an improvement of the quality of products and work as well as an increase of productivity and specialisation.1 2 Moreover, there are other factors (external and internal) which decide about the range of use of flexible forms of employment i.e. the size of the company, the place and scope of business, its type and participation of export in the general volume of production (services).3 On the domestic job market an increase of untypical (flexible) work places can be observed especially in the area of:
S Contracting work,
S Contract of employment for definite period of time,
S Part-time employment,
S Temporary work,
S Self-employment.
Among many untypical forms of employment and organisation of work, Polish companies most often use different forms of contracting work realised through outsourcing or contracts for a specific task or commission. This fact has been confirmed by the study carried out within the framework of a research project realised in 2001-2003: Flexibility of work demand in
1
E. Krynska, Wykorzystanie niestandardowych form zatrudnienia i organizacji pracy w przedsiqbiorstwach polskich, [in:] Rynek pracy w Polsce na progu XXI wieku. Aspekty makroekonomiczne i regionalne, edited by R. Horodenski, C. Sadowska-Snarska, Biatystok - Warszawa 2003, p. 147-148
2 A. Hyz, Elastyczne formy zatrudnienia, Gospodarka Narodowa, 1997, issue 7-8, p. 38-39
3 Z. Malara, op. cit., p. 215
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Poland. Analysis and methods of stimulation.1 It i s worth adding that i n Poland there are more and more outsourcing centres, which is the result of contracting work in some area of activity with an external company. This tendency has also influenced the rebirth of self-employment. Nowadays, self-employment involves not only workers, who use the experience gained during contract work to start their own business, but more often also young people, who are just entering the job market. These untypical, developing forms of employment also include temporary work. The temporary workers are interesting mainly for big companies and foreign firms, which got used to such form of employment. The temporary work is also favoured by the developing service sector.
Summary
Unemployment is a characteristic feature of market economy, but we should try to make it as low as possible among the young people, who finished a vocational school and are trying to enter the job market. For this reason, it is worth remembering that unlike other social groups the young are open to changes and new possibilities resulting from political and socioeconomic changes.1 2 An analysis of introduction of flexible forms of employment and organisation of work in Poland is limited, mainly because of a lack of suitable research in this area. Nevertheless, the conclusions from the available analyses can be an impulse for discussion on the structure and directions of vocational training.
The school offer should be based on a present market situation and prognoses connected with economic and technological development. That is why, preparing students of vocational schools for flexible forms of employment and job organisation is extremely important from the point of view of possibilities of employment on the contemporary, flexible job market.
1
The results of the research can be fund in the paper by E. Krynska (editor) Elastyczne formy zatrudnienia i organizacji pracy a popyt na pracq w Polsce,
IPiSS, Warsaw 2003
2
U. Jeruszka, Kwalifikacje zawodowe. Poglqdy teoretyczne a rzeczywistosc, Warsaw 2006, p. 189-191
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