The article shows the role of social enterprises on the labour market, exemplified by social cooperatives. In market economy, basing on experiences of a number of EU states, it is possible to state that there is a reason for existence of that type of enterprises, which can be proved by their continuous development and supporting policy of the European Parliament. These enterprises are often the only chance for marginalized and socially excluded people. The work made use of provisions of the law regarding operation of social cooperatives, different types of elaborations, as well as scientific literature.