Subject and purpose of work: The subject of the study is to indicate the situation of students and graduates on the Polish labour market, taking into account data on the number of students and graduates, as well as employment and unemployment statistics in selected years. Materials and methods: The study used the method of analysis of legal acts, data of the Central Statistical Office and analysis of the literature on the subject. Based on the qualitative analysis of the available documents, the main changes in the employment of university and secondary school graduates were indicated, taking into account the main factors limiting their employment. Results: People with higher education are in a particularly good situation on the labour market compared to secondary school graduates. In the process of hiring employees, the age, the field of study of the candidate and the actual situation on the labour market are important. Conclusions: Factors limiting employment were identified, both on the part of employers and the graduates themselves, taking into account the selected time period and the situation on the labour market.