Digital Labour Markets in Central and Eastern European Countries: COVID-19 and the Future of Work

299 Pages·2022·7.486 MB·English

by  Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek, Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak

DIGITAL LABOUR MARKETS
IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
This book examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on changing labour
markets and accelerating digitalisation of the workplace in Central and Eastern
Europe (CEE). It provides an innovative and enriching take on the work experience
from the pandemic times and discusses the challenges of ongoing changes in labour
markets and workplaces in a way that is not covered by the extant literature.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and digitalisation on labour market
outcomes is analysed throughout 12 chapters, by 34 labour market experts
from various CEE countries. Most chapters are based on empirical methods yet
are presented in an easy-to-follow way to make the book also accessible for a
non-scientific audience. The volume addresses the following three key goals:
• to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adoption
of workplace digitalisation in the selected labour markets in CEE countries
and the potential trade-offs facing those who do and do not have access to this
benefit;
• to complement the labour market research by incorporating the outputs of
changing demand for skills;
• to contribute new insight into policies and regulations that govern the future
of work.
The book argues that the recent COVID-19 pandemic was a sombre reminder
of the relevance and necessity of digital technology for a variety of sectors and
market activities. It concludes that to downside the risks of vanishing jobs, as well
as to minimise the threats and maximise the opportunities of digitalisation in CEE
countries, labour market partners need to consider an effective governance tool
in terms of inclusive access to the digital environment, re-skilling, and balanced
regulations of the more problematic facets of digital work.
The book will be of interest to postgraduate researchers and academics in the
fields of labour economics, regional economics, and macroeconomics. Additionally,
due to the broader policy implications of the topic, the book will appeal to
policymakers and experts interested in labour economics.
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek is an associate professor in the Department of
Macroeconomics and Development Research at the Institute of Economics at the
Poznań University of Economics and Business (PUEB) in Poland.
Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak is an associate professor in the Department of
Investments and Financial Markets at the Institute of Finance Poznań University of
Economics and Business (PUEB) in Poland.

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Not in Education, Employment, or Training Around the World
Edited by Mark Levels, Christian Brzinsky-Fay, Craig Holmes,
Janine Jongbloed and Hirofumi Taki
The Digital Economy and the European Labour Market
Edited by Maria Urbaniec
Digital Labour Markets in Central and Eastern European
Countries
COVID-19 and the Future of Work
Edited by Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek and Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak
For a full list of titles in this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Routledge-
Studies-in-Labour-Economics/book-series/RSLE
DIGITAL LABOUR
MARKETS IN CENTRAL
AND EASTERN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
COVID-19 and the Future of Work
Edited by Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek
and Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak
Designed cover image: piranka/Getty Images
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek and Kamilla
Marchewka-Bartkowiak; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek and Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak
to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors
for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
With the exception of the Introduction, Chapter 4 and Chapter 12, no
part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
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The Introduction, Chapter 4 and Chapter 12 of this book are available
for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page
at www.routledge.com. They have been made available under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
The funder for these chapters is the University of Primorska Poznan
University of Economics and Business
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registered trademarks and are used only for identification and explanation
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Woźniak-Jęchorek, Beata, editor. | Marchewka-Bartkowiak,
Kamilla, 1973- editor.
Title: Digital labour markets in Central and Eastern European countries :
COVID-19 and the future of work / edited by Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek
and Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak.
Description: Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge,
2023. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022037652 | ISBN 9781032354118 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781032354125 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003326779 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Labor market—Europe, Central. | Labor
market—Europe, Eastern. | Telecommuting—Europe, Central. |
Telecommuting—Europe, Eastern. | COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020—
Europe, Central—Influence. | COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020—Europe,
Eastern—Influence.
Classification: LCC HD5764.7.A6 D54 2023 | DDC 331.1/0943—dc23/
eng/20220823
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037652
ISBN: 978-1-032-35411-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-35412-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-32677-9 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003326779
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
We would like to thank all contributors for their commitment and
cooperation.
The book was financed within the Regional Excellence Initiative
programme of the Minister of Science and Higher Education
of Poland,
years 2019–2023, grant no. 004/RID/2018/19, financing
3,000,000 PLN.

CONTENTS
List of Figures xii
List of Tables xv
List of Contributors xvii
Introduction 1
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek and Kamilla Marchewka-Bartkowiak
PART 1
New Work Experience from the COVID-19
Pandemic Time 13
1 Work from Home: Regional Digital Divide
in EU Countries 15
Beata Woźniak-Jęchorek and Piotr Matuszak
2 The Corona-Inducted Shift Towards Intermediate
Digital Skills Across Occupations in Slovakia 37
Brian Fabo
3 Has COVID-19 Enhanced Labour Polarisation
in Poland? Changes in Unmet Labour Demand
Based on Online Job Offers 49
Łukasz Arendt, Ewa Gałecka-Burdziak, and Robert Pater