ECONOMIC CRISIS AND SITUATION ON THE LABOR MARKET IN COUNTRIES OF EUROPEAN UNION IN THE YEARS 2007-2011

The article analyses influence of prosperity conditions on the labor market. The principal aim of the article is to determine the main trends on the labor market in Poland and other chosen countries in European Union. The research problem has been formulated as follows: economic crisis have an major influence on changes in level and structure of employment and unemployment. The theoretical part of the article presents characteristics changes on the labor market from the macro-economical point of view and personal strategies of companies, at the time of economic crisis. The practical part of the article is based on method of statistical analysis. Statistical analysis embraces changes in: level and structure of employment (especially level of part time employed, temporary employed, self-employed) and level and structure of unemployment (especially level of long-term unemployment and unemployment of the young). Statistical data show that eco-nomic crisis in European Union caused: fall in level of employment, increase in level of unemployment, major changes in structure of employment and very small changes in structure of unemployment