Competences of adult Poles - evaluation of the age as a differentiating factor

Skills and competences are important factors influencing the human capital resources especially in the era of the knowledge-based economy. All professional activities demand various competences. Moreover, it becomes necessary to continuously enrich knowledge and skills because of the rapidly changing environment. Possessing and developing skills turn out to be indispensable elements in the functioning of the labour market. On the other hand, Poland, as many other European countries, faces the problem of the aging society and potential lack of the qualified labour force in the future. Qualifications development is therefore extremely important from the economic point of view. This paper concerns the topic of the resources of the competences possessed by the adult Poles. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the assessment of the competences made by the respondents of the nationwide survey on the human capital in Poland. Skills from various fields are taken into account. Special attention is paid to the relationships between the age and the declared skills. One of the key questions under consideration is if there are substantial demographical determinants of the competences. The dataset used for the analyses comprises variables from various measurement scales. Chosen statistical techniques adequate for such data are applied to explore and describe the nature of the relationships. Additionally, the analyses are supported by some visualization methods appropriate for a multidimensional approach.