The purpose of this paper is to depict the population of the working poor in Poland, the EU, the USA and developing countries. The socioeconomic transformations of the last thirty years (e.g. high-tech revolution, globalization, time-space compression) have completely changed and are still changing the labour market. A shift from mass production (Fordism) to flexible specialization (post-Fordism) has caused the erosion of the “old world of work”. In an era of disorganized capitalism, the work becomes on the one hand more flexible, and on the other less secure. This contributes to greater instability of employment, as well as leads to social disparities and poverty in the labour market.