HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE UNEMPLOYED

Unemployment was the greatest social problem faced by the Poles during the political transformation and the transition from a centrally planned to a free market economy. The average unemployment rate in Poland was higher than in most other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In the studied period, the unemployment rate amounted to 11.5% in 2014 and 9.7% in 2015, respectively (https://bdm.stat.gov.pl). However, there is a large regional variation in the unemployment rate, which means that despite the dynamic economic growth, the problem of unemployment still affects representatives of many social groups in Poland. Unemployment, in particular long-term unemployment, has a number of negative, economic, social, and psychological effects on jobless people and their families. Reduced household income leads to various constraints of fulfilment of individual and collective needs. Joblessness results in a decline of professional skills and qualifications, which often hinders or even prevents a successful return to work (Zhang & de Figueiredo, 2018).