Occupational mobility and the qualifications of Polish citizens

Motives: Little is known about the occupational mobility of Poles. In the literature, only the impact of socio-demographic factors on occupational mobility has been investigated. Occupational mobility may be influenced by educational attainment and the type of acquired qualifications, but these considerations have not been studied to date.Aim: The article examines occupational mobility, namely changes in occupation in a person’s professional history, as well as declared willingness (readiness) to change occupation within 12 months. The presented results of empirical research are based on a unique set of data collected during a CAWI survey performed on a sample of 16,119 Poles aged 18-65. An event history analysis and a logit model were used to analyse occupational mobility and its determinants.Results: The event history analysis revealed that Poles often change their learnt occupation. The results of the logit model indicate that the occupational mobility of Poles is influenced not only by demographic factors, but also by the acquired qualifications. Occupational mobility differed among respondents who acquired their qualifications at university, in a secondary school, or through vocational training. University graduates were characterized by the highest occupational mobility. Occupation mobility was influenced not only by educational attainment, but also by the type of acquired qualifications. Occupational mobility was highest among services and humanities graduates, and lowest among education and health graduates. Moreover, we found no evidence of significant spatial differences in occupational mobility in Poland.