This study evaluates labour market flexibility using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) method. TOPSIS is employed by comparing spatial (i.e., different countries) and temporal (i.e., long-time horizon) terms. Sustainable industrial relations processes are considered in shaping the flexibility of the labour market in 15 European Union Member States from 2009 to 2018. Countries are grouped into classes to provide a basis for benchmarking results against social and employment policies implemented at the national level. A five-step quantitative MCDA method is formulated using published data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The results indicate that the TOPSIS method is an appropriate approach for measuring labour market flexibility internationally. Moreover, in relation to workforce phenomena, the findings show that the method offers the possibility of examining the impact of particular factors related to social and employment policies of a country in terms of sustainable development and socioeconomic growth. The lack of precision tools to forecast the development of national and transnational labour markets—particularly during the COVID-19 era—highlights the importance of such a method for workforce planners and policymakers. Developing sustainable industrial relations in terms of associated national externalities is the motivation of the research.

The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is another significant confession for European societies. Despite extensive efforts, a safe level of population resilience has not been achieved in most countries. Previous actions and government programs aimed at persuading as many people as possible to accept vaccinations. Full availability of free vaccination has brought different levels of participation in fully vaccinated people across the European Union. This article presents the preliminary results of research on the role of the media in shaping pro-vaccination attitudes in Poland, based on a critical analysis of the literature on the subject, statistical data and an empirical research. The differences in attitudes towards vaccination against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in individual European Union countries have multifaceted conditions. These include factors of a social, political and cultural nature. Information plays an important role, shaping social attitudes in the discussed issue. One of the primary sources of this information is media – both traditional and digital. It is therefore worth defining the strength of media in the fight to build population resilience in the face of a pandemic.

How to convince the undecided – communication with the elderly and attitudes towards vaccination COVID-19 The pandemic has had its toll on the socio-economic life of most people. Governments and international organizations face new challenges in a situation of uncertainty. The next step in the fight against the threat of COVID-19 is the mass vaccination procedure. Social campaigns are designed to encourage as many people as possible to join the vaccination plan Achieving population resilience requires a significant commitment of organizational, financial and communication resources. Older people constitute a priority group in the vaccination system in Poland. However, despite the measures taken, there remains a significant share of seniors who remain reluctant to vaccination. The government is taking further pro-turnout measures targeted at the elderly. The shortcomings of the existing strategies should be eliminated for the benefit of society. This article is an attempt to summarize the research conducted so far in the field of the needs and possibilities of communication with the elderly, attitudes towards vaccinations and sources of influence on making purchasing decisions of seniors.

The aim of this paper is to investigate differences between the role of older people as consumers of goods and services in Old and New Member States of European Union. An ageing of society process causes changes in the structure of consumers of goods and services, in size and age respectively and therefore should be comprehensively considered. The consequences of an ageing process have been illustrated with an example of the tourism market. To reach the goal of this paper statistical analysis has been carried out, particularly in order to examine the differences between EU New and Old Member States2 with respect to dynamics of population ageing and characteristics of older customers. Most of the recent scientific literature considering the specific influence of demographic processes on customers behaviour has been reviewed. The key findings prove that an ageing of societies process is significant for each European country. However EU-12 societies are generally younger in comparison to EU-15. On the other hand EU-12 societies are exposed to higher risk of rising dynamics of demographic changes. In a consequence, the increasing role of older people as customers brings also essential changes in relation between supply and demand on each markets. What is highly important, older customers needs are evolving due to their increasing purchasing power, higher education level and better consumers awareness. For instance, these relationships can be observed on tourism services markets where older people are becoming a significant and more attractive group of consumers, due to the level of their tourism expenditures. Moreover, the study described clearly considerable differences between older customers behaviour in EU Old and New Member States: in the purchase frequency of tourism services, in the length of holiday trips and in the level of expenditures. In the subsequent years, a higher homogenisation of purchasing habits of older people in European countries is expected. This paper contributes to the most current European scientific discussions on an importance of older people for a development of economies from the perspective of their impact on goods and services markets. Furthermore, especially in a context of insufficient optimization of companies strategies, which are still directed to a shrinking group of young buyers and the lack of knowledge about changing needs of older customers need to be highlighted and analyzed to bring new solutions for producers, retailers and whole markets.