Labour market inclusiveness as a key challenge facing society and management

Abstract

PURPOSE: This article is a part of an interdisciplinary project that pertains to topics related to the labour market in Poland, which is extremely dynamic and diverse, depending on the region, industry, and job group. However, the key challenge remains acquiring competent employees. The inclusiveness of the labour market is an extremely important and current topic that both companies and societies in many countries are addressing.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Taking into account the managerial approach, the main research methods used in the study were literature review, diagnostic survey research, and basic statistical analysis. The study was conducted based on a survey questionnaire, using the CAWI method and a selected research sample of 2900 respondents—Metropolis GZM in Poland (1274), the Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolis in Poland (824), and the Ruhr Metropolis in Germany (802)—inhabitants, who declared themselves mostly employed in all sectors, including the public, private, and nongovernmental sectors. The research results were presented using a comparative approach, both for the entire representative population of each metropolitan areas and in cross-sectional approaches, which include status in the labour market defined by the four categories.

FINDINGS: The results of this research provide new insights into the practical understanding of inclusiveness and diversity in the context of a contemporary labour market among metropolitan inhabitants, including among other employees in the main group. They also show international and cross-sectoral differences in their understanding of labour market inclusiveness.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: They can be used, among other methods, by local authorities as a guide for shaping policies to help foreigners better adapt to the requirements of the Polish labour market in line with the expectations of companies and organisations in metropolitan areas.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This is one of the first and largest surveys regarding the entirety of the Metropolis GZM, Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolis, and Ruhr Metropolis in relation to the implementation of prioritisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as well as labour market inclusiveness that takes a comparative approach and provides practical recommendations for metropolitan authorities and other stakeholders as well as for future in-depth research.