CULTURAL EMPLOYMENT IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: ANALYSIS AND IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Cultural and creative industries are an important driver of economic development because they stimulate innovation, create new jobs, increase added value and strengthen the competitiveness and global recognition of the economy. They are important for the European economy, which is reflected, among other things, in the number of employees in this industry, which makes a valuable contribution to total employment. The aim of the paper is to identify the economic contribution of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (EU-11: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia) to the total EU economy using indicators of cultural employment and GDP. Through the analysis of existing research, the aim of the paper is to identify the key characteristics of the labor market in CCIs in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with a special emphasis on the educational status of employees and their role in cultural employment. The specificity of these countries is reflected in the transition process from a planned to a market economy in which cultural and creative industries play a significant role in the transformation of their economy. It is important because it also facilitates their integration into the European cultural and economic space.
This research is based on the Eurostat methodological framework and uses an approach based on a combination of economic activities and occupations, which seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of total cultural employment. Using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, the paper identifies trends and differences in cultural employment in the EU-11 countries in the period 2013-2022 and examines whether there is a statistically significant relationship between cultural employment and GDP. The research results show that there are inequalities in the distribution of cultural employment in these countries, which, among other things, can be linked to both historical development and transition, as well as to their adaptation to changes and new technologies, for which a highly educated workforce is key, contributing to the development of innovation and competitiveness of these industries. Likewise, a positive correlation between cultural employment and GDP is established, which indicates that the cultural sector has an impact on overall economic growth and long-term economic benefits and, following the example of some of the analyzed countries, it is necessary to invest in the aforementioned sector. The paper contributes to the understanding of the specificities of cultural employment and its potential in the economies of countries in transition, which is important for decision-makers and public policy makers.