Is There any Demand For the Workers Aged 50+ in Poland?

The process of ageing affects all the European Union Member States, including Poland. According to forecasts by the Central Statistical Office, in 2035, the population of Poland will decrease in relation to 2010 by more than 2 million, and the share of people aged 50+ in the total population will increase from 34.8% to 46.6% (Prognoza ludności 2009). In the context of current and projected demo-graphic changes, a discussion is taking place and actions are taken to – on the one hand – extend the period of Poles' economic activity and – one the other hand – implement age management systems in enterprises, enabling the efficient exploitation of the potential of workers aged 50+. The paper considers the problem of the situation of people aged 50+ in the Polish labour market. The main objective is to find out whether in Poland there is a need for the work performed by people aged 50+. The employers' views on work-ers 50+ and the possibilities and conditions of employment of this group are pre-sented. The paper uses and confronts statistics related to the labour market (BAEL) and the results of quantitative and qualitative research carried out by selected Polish research centres within the framework of projects co-financed from EU funds.