| Abstract [eng] |
Globalisation processes, trade liberalisation, increasing capital mobility, and the growing integration of countries into international value chains have recently become key factors shaping national markets. Over the past two decades, European labour markets have undergone significant structular changes, characterised by a gradual decline in the importance of the agricultural and industrial sectors and the strengthening of the service sector. The increasing focus on technological development and information technologies has stimulated the emergence of new occupations and hightlighted the growing importance of worker‘s qualifications and educational attainment. Researchers analysing labour market trends increasingly emphasise the phenomenom of labour market polarisation. This process is characteritic of developed economies, where deamnd for medium skilled workers declines, while demand for low and high skilled workers increases. Researchers examining this phenomenom underline the role of globalisation and technological progress. The relocation of firms across countries, international trade, foreign direct investment, migration, automation, the expanding use of artificial intelligence, and other internationally driven factors increasingly shape labour demand and educational patterns. An analysis of labour market sructular indicators in Lithuania also reveals similar tendencies. Therefore, it is important to examine how these changes affect the Lithuanian labour market and whether they pose risks to the country‘s economic performance and the social and financial well being of its population. The empirical analysis examines data on low, medium, and hight skilled employment in Lithuania over the period 2003-2024. To determine whether labour market polarisation exists in the analysed labour market, labour market structure indicators and labour market polarisation indices are calculated. To identify the factors influencing these developments, correlation analysis and regression models are applied. The results indicate that more intensive labour market polarisation in Lithuania is observed during the 2021-2024 period, when the number of medium skilled workers declined significntly whlie the share of high skilled workers in total employment increased. The econometric analysis shows that the number of information and communication technology workers has a statistically significant impact on both low and high skilled employment. This suggests that the Lithuanian labour market is increasingly oriented towards a knowledge based economic model, characterised by technological advancement, rising knowledge intesity, greater information diffusion, an expanding service sector, and a declining tole of the industrial sector. |
