Unemployment, Restructuring, and the Labor Market in Eastern Europe and Russia (Edi Development Studies)

When transition started in Eastern Europe and Russia, it was clear that unemployment would emerge and that, at least initially, job losses were likely to be large given the size of the shocks and the disruption to systems of production and trade. How large the unemployment and how long it will last still remains largely unknown. This report examines the unemployment status of Hungary, Poland, Czech and Slovak Republics, Russia, Bulgaria, and Romania. The contributing authors examine the effect of government reforms and privatization on a labor force lacking the skills for the evolving sectors of employment in service and trade industries. The contributors also examine the phenomenon of regional unemployment due to a rigidity in labour markets, caused by immobility across the labour market due to inaccessibility to housing and infrastructure.