Overview of the Labor Market Situation of Low-Educated and Roma Population and Regulations Affecting their Employment

The report contributes to the “Policy Puzzles with Roma Employment” Work Package of the NEUJOBS research project by providing an overview of the workings of the labor market for  low-educated population and within this, Roma population specifically.  We are investigating low educated population as a reference group against which Roma’s labour market situation may be contrasted. The report addresses the following: (1) the labour market situation of low educated population, (2) the situation and chances of employment of the Roma/Gypsy population, and (3) labour market regulators that may have an important role in the employability of the population in question. The report aims to contribute to understanding the circumstances of Roma employment (or the lack thereof) in European countries. The report summarizes existing knowledge on the questions. The first section compares the relative position of low educated individuals vis-à-vis their more educated counterparts across the labour markets of five European Union (EU) countries – Bulgaria, Spain, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia. The report specifically look at the odds of a) labour market participation b) chances of finding employment c) quality of their employment. Rather than treating the low educated population as a homogenous group, the internal structure of the low educated population in each country is subjected to an analysis and the final results are presented with respect to this heterogeneity. The second part of the paper summarizes available data on Roma employment in the countries researched. The third section of the report introduces and contrasts labour market and welfare regulators between countries, because they provide the framework in which decisions both on the supply and demand side are taken by labour market actors. Based on available information, it overviews macro level regulations that define the frame of employment opportunities of the targeted population: it gives an estimation of the costs of workforce, their distribution across educational level (level of minimal wage, level of taxes and allowance imposed on wages) and welfare allowances (including family allowances, early pension, disability pension and other welfare allowances) which frame the supply side of the labour market.