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Iga Magda

Warsaw School of Economics and Institute for Structural Research, Poland

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IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Vice President, Institute for Structural Research (IBS) Warsaw; Assistant Professor, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland

Research interest

Labor economics, health, social and educational policies

Website

https://ibs.org.pl/en/team/iga-magda/

Positions/functions as a policy advisor

Member of Advisory Board on Employment Policies for People Aged 50+, 2012-2013; Head of Labor Market Analyses Unit, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, 2005–2009

Qualifications

PhD Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, 2010

Selected publications

  • "Long-term unemployment in Poland." In: Bentolila, S., and M. Jansen (ed). Long-Term Unemployment after the Great Recession: Causes and Remedies. London: CEPR, 2016 (with P. Lewandowski).

  • "Gender inequalities in the Polish labour market." In: Razzu, G. (ed). Gender Inequality in the Eastern European Labour Market. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016 (with J. Baran, R. Keister, and P. Lewandowski).

  • "Lower coverage but stronger unions? Institutional changes and union wage premia in central Europe." Journal of Comparative Economics 44:3 (2015) 638–656 (with D. Marsden and S. Moriconi).

  • "Women as workers–In the middle of a marathon." In: Beblavy, M., I. Maselli, M. Veselkova (eds). Green, Pink & Silver? The Future of Labour in Europe, Vol. 2. Brussels: CEPS, 2015 (with A. Kamińska).

  • "Wage differentials across sectors in Europe: An east-west comparison." Economics of Transition 19:4 (2011): 749–769 (with F. Rycx F., I. Tojerow I., and D. Valsamis).

article(s)

  • The labor market in Poland, 2000−2021 Updated

    Employment has been rising, but disadvantaged groups and low participation of older people pose challenges

    Piotr LewandowskiIga Magda, March 2023
    In the early 2000s, Poland's unemployment rate reached 20%. That is now a distant memory, as employment has increased noticeably and the unemployment rate had dropped to 3.4% in 2021. The labor force participation of older workers increased following reforms aimed at prolonging careers. However, participation remains low compared to most developed countries and the reversal of the statutory retirement age in 2017 leaves Poland vulnerable to the effects of population aging. Rising immigration has eased the resulting labor shortages, but women, people with disabilities, and agricultural workers remain underemployed. During the Covid-19 pandemic the slowdown in economic growth and increase in unemployment were small.
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  • Do trade unions in Central and Eastern Europe make a difference?

    Low coverage and greater fragmentation can limit the benefits of trade unions

    Iga Magda, May 2017
    Countries with strong industrial relations institutions and well-established social dialogue often perform well in terms of economic growth and social cohesion. The weak and fragmented bargaining and low levels of union coverage in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) raise concerns about these countries’ potential to maintain competitiveness, tackle demographic and macroeconomic challenges, and catch up with Western European economic and social standards. There is evidence that unions in CEE continue to protect their members and generate wage premiums, despite their institutional weaknesses.
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