Labour markets, demography, migration and skills

This chapter reviews labour market developments pre- and post-EU Enlargement in the Central-Eastern and South-Eastern European (CESEE) countries. During the post-transition phase CESEE economies went through dramatic processes of structural change (deindustrialisation, tertiarisation, uneven regional development, etc.). Such industrial and regional structural change had strong implications for labour demand and the demand for skills. Furthermore, migration flows and other demographic developments affected the available labour supply. This chapter analyses these developments, their impact on labour market developments pre- and post-EU membership, and develops scenarios into the future. This chapter also includes an analysis of the impact of demographic developments on a likely ‘labour shortage’ scenario for the catching-up processes of Central and Eastern European countries into the future.