Discussion Papers 2008.
Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area 67-69. p.
7 Education
and
employment
in the Carpathian region
For several decades the ratio of young people with secondary education (ISCED 3
by the nomenclature of International Standard Classification of Education) has
been showing an increasing trend in Europe. In the macroregion of our research
the ratio of people with ISCED 3 qualification is slightly above the EU15 aver-
age. On the employment side there is an obvious correlation between unemploy-
ment and education. According to Eurostat data 4% of people with higher educa-
tion (ISCED 5–6), 7% of people with secondary education and high-level profes-
sional qualification (ISCED 3–4), and 11% of people with primary education
were unemployed in the EU15 countries. In the newly joined EU member states,
including the Carpathian region, these percentage values were higher, particularly
in the case of low educated people (CEDEFOP, 2003). To all these we must add
that young people and women have lower opportunities for entering the labour
market.
Young people are educated in different education and training systems in a di-
verse institutional framework, therefore their common problems are emerging in
various forms. Consequently the management of the same problem may bring
different outcomes in different countries.
Rising unemployment is a serious problem especially for young people: in
some countries youth unemployment rate may go as high as 40%. However, the
Czech Republic and Austria has low rate of youth unemployment (although it is
showing a growing tendency in these countries as well). It is low-educated or
professionally unskilled people who are the most badly hit by unemployment.
East Central Europe including the Carpathian region has a growing tendency of
youth unemployment but there are significant differences in this aspect among the
member regions of the macro-region.
There are significant differences among the countries as well. In some coun-
tries the ratio of students of higher education dropped right after the regime
change but it was followed by an increasing tendency. Today it occurs very rarely
that a graduate training period is followed by lifelong employment. Actually
graduate training is followed by retraining and frequent changes of employment.
The countries of East Central Europe are very seriously hit by the problems de-
scribed here (Table 16).
The majority of the unemployed have primary school or vocational school
certificate only (in several regions this ratio is about 70%). In general, the educa-
tion level of females is lower than of males. About two-thirds of rural population
have primary school certificate only and this is in sharp contrast with the similar
indicators of urban population. A dichotomy between the capital city and the pro-
vincial areas can be experienced in all the countries involved in our research. Al-
though the general level of education has increased in long-term perspective the
Education and Employment in the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 67-69. p. Discussion Papers, Special
68
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE CARPATHIAN AREA
Table 16
Education level in the Carpathian area (2004)
Students at ISCED level 3
Students at ISCED levels 5–6 –
(GPV) – as % of all students at as % of all pupils and students
ISCED level 3 at regional level
at regional level
(approximately equivalent with (approximately equivalent with
GCE)
BSc, MSc and PhD)
Czech Republic
22.41
14.3
Jihovýchod 21.75
17.5
Strední Morava
24.16
10.0
Moravskoslezsko 22.60 12.2
Hungary 23.58
18.2
Central-Hungary 20.97 27.1
Central-Transdanubia 25.08
12.7
West-Transdanubia 25.50 14.9
North-Hungary 23.18
14.9
Northern Great Plain
24.63
12.6
Southern Great Plain
25.59
15.7
Austria 22.76
14.3
Burgenland 25.45
2.9
Niederösterreich 23.39 2.4
Wien 18.12
33.0
Poland 21.74
20.8
Małopolskie 20.83
22.1
Śląskie 22.56
19.0
Podkarpackie 23.21
14.5
Świętokrzyskie 23.59
20.5
Romania 23.67
15.1
Nord-Est (SRE 2002)
22.81
10.7
Sud-Est (SRE 2002)
25.53
9.1
Sud (SRE 2002)
25.44
6.9
Sud-Vest (SRE 2002)
24.94
9.3
Vest (SRE 2002)
23.08
19.2
Nord-Vest (SRE 2002)
22.66
16.5
Centru (SRE 2002)
23.72
13.3
Bucureşti (SRE 2002)
21.69
38.7
Slovakia 24.93
13.1
Bratislavský kraj
22.30
31.8
Západné Slovensko
26.11
10.4
Stredné Slovensko
25.61
11.4
Východné Slovensko
22.41
8.8
Source: Eurostat.
Education and Employment in the Carpathian Region.
In: Socio-Economic Analysis of the Carpathian Area.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 67-69. p. Discussion Papers, Special
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT IN THE CARPATHIAN REGION
69
difference between urban and rural areas has decreased only slightly and the dif-
ferences within rural areas have remained significant. In areas with low education
level there is an increasing threat of segregation. There are some microregions
with very poor knowledge base in North-Hungary, in the peripheral areas of Ro-
mania, especially in the southern regions and in the border zones between Roma-
nia–Ukraine and Romania–Serbia.
For evaluating the macroregion’s overall qualification level even using ISCED
indices it is very difficult to carry out a comparative analysis by countries: they
are very strongly determined by the overall level of the education system and
some of its elements: the training demand and supply in a country and the cus-
toms and habits associated with them.
The ratio of people with secondary education (ISCED 3) (GCE) is by far ex-
ceeding the macroregion’s average in Hungary. In Hungary GCE certificate is not
recognised as professional certificate: it is nothing more than a prerequisite of
higher education. It should also be mentioned here that in the EU the ratio of pu-
pils visiting secondary vocational schools is higher than of grammar school stu-
dents (54% and 46%). This shift between the types of secondary-level education
may even be higher in certain countries of the macroregion – Austria, the Czech
Republic and Slovakia – with 1/3–2/3 in favour of professional training, which is
quite contrary to the practice of the southern EU states where 2/3 of the total pu-
pils are visiting grammar schools and only 1/3 are studying at vocational schools.