- The dismissal of over 4,100 employees from PKP Cargo is bad news for the Polish economy. The situation shows that the state-owned transport giant is weakening in a sector that is gaining an increasingly wider market share in Europe. Intermodal cargo transport in many countries is effectively expanding the transport market, thus relieving road transport, which in Europe is still the dominant form of transport preferred by entrepreneurs.
- Will the labor market be able to easily take over over 4,100 PKP Cargo employees? Dorota Siedziniewska-Brzeźniak, IDEA HR Group labor market expert, has no doubt that it will not be easy.
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Over 3 thousand fewer employees. And layoffs haven't even started yet 
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Unemployment is down, but group layoffs are increasing
The TSL market will certainly demand young and active employees
– PKP Cargo employees have their own work style. Operating in a state-owned company involves privileges that are not available in commercial companies. An employee changing job must therefore be ready for a lot of training, acquiring new competences and adapting to the needs of an employer operating in a completely different market space. This may be difficult for some employees, especially since the rail transport market in Poland is not very developed – says Dorota Siedziniewska-Brzeźniak, IDEA HR Group labor market expert.
Some PKP Cargo employees will have to change jobs.
– The TSL market will definitely demand young and active employees. The biggest problem will be faced by older people and those who are less flexible in terms of acquiring new competences or using more modern equipment. I expect that many PKP Cargo employees will simply change the industry, says the expert.
Electricians and mechanics find work first
What industries may be interested in accepting PKP Cargo employees? Experts point to several sectors of the economy that complain about a chronic labor shortage.
– What we most need are electricians, mechanics, and people ready to take up physical work, e.g. in logistics centers and warehouses. People with such competences will definitely find a job. Train drivers can also find work in the TSL sector. Transport needs drivers. It is still difficult to say whether other PKP companies or commercial carriers will decide to employ those leaving PKP Cargo. It all depends on their competences and readiness to change. There is certainly space on the labor market, but not necessarily in workplaces operating like PKP Cargo. There are simply no such plants anymore, says Dorota Siedziniewska-Brzeźniak.
The specialist also adds that the success of recruitment also depends on the region.
– Where there is strong industry, it will be easier to find work. Let's remember that administrative employees will also lose their jobs, and it may be more difficult to find a new job for them – adds the expert.
