Social innovation: impact on the labour market

The slogan “innovation” has become extremely popular and is often used in a variety of contexts. The addition of the term “social” to it highlights the need to seek social innovations that affect broad social groups in a modern and effective way. What is the significance of social innovation in the context of the modern labour market?

The idea of innovation refers to openness, creativity and the adoption of a different perspective in solving problems than before. This approach is noticeable in various areas, such as law-making, management, economy or development. The implementation of social innovation makes it possible to include new actors in the planning of solutions. The modern labour market requires increasing flexibility and adaptation to socio-economic changes, and social innovation is the answer to these labour market challenges.

In the context of social innovation, we can find numerous solutions for urban policy, such as a new form of participation, in which participants are both public administration and city authorities, as well as other public actors: representatives of enterprises, citizens, people from non-governmental organizations, civic movements or members of higher education institutions. Social innovation management allows for the integration of these actors and the creation of more effective and sustainable solutions. Social innovation is solving problems and actions that benefit not only the individual, but society as a whole. Above all, social innovation has a specific objective, which is to meet the needs of communities that the market has not foreseen, such as creating satisfactory jobs and supporting the development of innovation.

Definition and European context

According to the definition on the European Social Fund Plus website:

Social innovation aims to improve the quality of life in Europe by improving working conditions, education, the development of local communities or health, or by addressing key problems such as poverty or discrimination. By involving public authorities, civil society, academia and businesses, Europe can find new solutions to the long-standing problems facing European society.

The European Commission defines social innovation as the development and implementation of new ideas (products, services, models) to meet social needs and improve social relations and cooperation. They are aimed at improving the welfare of society and assessing the effectiveness of innovation.

The European Union implements programmes that support social innovation, one of which is the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which enables the implementation of social innovation through dedicated funds. In Poland, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy is responsible for the implementation of this component.

Labour market challenges and social innovation

The three basic dimensions of social innovation are:

Satisfying social needs.
Changes in social relations, especially increasing the level of participation.
Empowering those involved by developing their capacities and facilitating access to resources.

For the idea of social innovation to be realized, the participation of society in its implementation is a necessary element. Social participation is based on the ingenuity of citizens, social organizations, local communities, entrepreneurs and public administration. The search for and effective management of social innovations can lead to better matching of services and products to individual and collective needs.

Social Innovation and Disability

One example of the impact of social innovation on the condition of the labour market is the vocational activation of persons with disabilities (OZN). In his scientific article Social innovation in the company as a tool to activate the disabled who are inactive (2019) Urszula Bukowska (University of Economics in Kraków) analyzes how the effectiveness of social innovations increases the availability of jobs for the UN in Poland and describes the process of their implementation.

Using the example of the OZN situation, Bukowska presented the process of implementing social innovations, which includes:

Identification of needs.
Generating ideas.
Testing innovation.
Maintenance of implemented changes.
Diffusion of innovation and adaptation of changes on a larger scale.

In the context of the UN, innovations that have had a beneficial effect on professional activation were solutions of the nature of:

Technological (programs for reading the screen, speech synthesizers, adjustable desks).
Architectural and urban planning (elevators with sound notifications, signage for the blind).
Organizational (remote work, training in diversity management).

The result of the implemented changes through social innovation has been numerous benefits for people with disabilities and society as a whole. Companies have gained an image as socially responsible entities, the social welfare system has been relieved, and the integration of the UN as active workers has made them taxpayers.

How to implement social innovation?

In Poland, an example of a program supporting innovative and future-oriented solutions is TransferHub - social innovation incubator run by the Foundation for Social and Economic Initiatives since 2016. Currently, the 3rd edition of the program is underway, which supports innovation in areas such as:

intergenerational dialogue,
disguise and upskilling,
democracy in the workplace,
neurodiversity.

TransferHub supports the implementation of social innovations that have not been previously developed or implemented in Poland. These innovations should respond to the real needs of a given group and aim to employ people in difficult situations on the labour market. The call for the programme continues until the funds to support innovation are exhausted and the project is financed from European funds.

The implementation of social innovation and the evaluation of the effectiveness of innovation are crucial for the modern labour market. We want to support innovations that respond to the challenges of the labour market and lead to real improvements in the quality of life and working conditions.

summary

The implementation of social innovation is a key element in adapting the labour market to changing socio-economic conditions. Their effectiveness requires the cooperation of many sectors and long-term evaluation of the results, their introduction on the Polish market is possible thanks to programs specializing in funds intended for innovation.

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