Sectoral employment structure in central and eastern European countries compared to highly developed countries in the European Union

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the spatial diversity of the sectoral transformation of the employment structure in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in the period 2010–2018. The current level of development of the service sector in the EU is primarily a consequence of the political and economic conditions that have existed in these countries in recent decades. With today’s changes in the global economy, related to the transition from industrial to post-industrial to informational phase of civilization, the adaptation processes of various economic structures are an important research issue. The result is a redevelopment of a sectoral economic structure in which industrial activity, a fundamental economic base in the industrial phase, gives way to service activities, especially related to the digital economy. Understanding the rules governing the evolution of the three-sectoral structure of employment in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is an important problem both theoretically and practically. The author presents the mechanisms for changing the three-sector employment structure over time in the different countries of Central and Eastern Europe, finding not only the intensity of change but also their consistency. This approach shows one of the most crucial elements of the competitiveness of regional and national spatial systems.