LABOUR MARKET RESPONSE TO GLOBALIZATION IN SELECTED COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

The article discusses globalization and its impact on labour markets in two European countries - Poland and Spain. Technological progress, caused by a dynamically changing reality, generates new expectations for potential employees. It is debatable, if the level of education is a determining factor. The quality of education and its adjustment to contemporary requirements of the market becomes vital to the reduction of unemployment. The aim of this article is to present labour market situation in the selected countries, taking into account the level of education and the influence of globalization. Statistical methods were used to analyze this phenomenon. The moving average calculations have been conducted to assess the overall development trend and the average rate of change was determined based on individual chain base dynamics indexes. Data concerning the employment and unemployment rates according to the level of education and sex from Eurostat and national statistical institutes (the Central Statistics Office and Instituto Nacional de Estadistica) was used in the study. The initial data verification let us observe an opposite trend in Poland and Spain in relation to both ratios. The results of the analysis will allow us to verify the hypothesis that nowadays, women are more tailored to the needs of labour market and that level of education influences the unemployment rate. Globalization gives many possibilities, but also poses serious threats. The way countries deal with its impact on the labour market determines citizens' quality of life and the level of socio-demographic development.