EN
The paper presents assumptions and targets formulated in the Lisbon Strategy for employment on UE territory. It focuses on directives concerning EU employment rates (total, women’s and older workers’ employment rates). The analysis indicates that the situation in Poland in 2008–2009, compared with EU countries, was not a favourable one. It also considers the employment rates of women, men and older workers (aged 55–64). The gap between projections for 2010 – a 50% rate of older workers rates and the Polish respective figure amounts to 18 percentage points, the gap for the women’s rate was 7.6 percentage points, and the gap for the men’s rate was 10.8 percentage points. A similar situation was observed in Hungary and Italy. Only Malta saw a higher distance between these indicators. The analysis shows that changes in employment and unemployment rates from 2004 to 2009 in Poland, like those in other new EU members, should be considered positive.