Równowaga na regionalnym rynku pracy

The term „regional labour market” belongs to those economic concepts, which are defined ambiguosly, interpreted in different ways and used commonly. It is also the term „equilibrium on labour market” which is interpreted differently. An attempt was made in this article to systematize the definitions oľ both concepts. This is followed by a review of the equilibrium measures used in research of labour market and the presentation of the author’s own conception of determining the equilibrium on the regional labour market in a quantitative approach. There is also pointed out the necessity of making allowances in research of labour market for its qualitative aspects, which do not lend themselves for quantification. What is meant here are such factors, which determine employees’ and employers’ satisfaction and do not materialize themselves in the form of a definite number of vacant jobs or in an increased number o f job seekers. These include, for instance, arduousness of commuting to work or expectations in the field of labour quality and efficiency. The analysis ends with deliberations on practical aspects of measuring the equilibrium on labour market, and especially statistical data reflecting the volume and structure of labour supply and demand. It is pointed out in this connection that the data collected by employment agencies should be supplemented by new statistics based on studies of households. The Central Statistical Office has been conducting such studies of economic activity of population since 1992.