ASSESSMENT OF CHANGES WITHIN THE ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF THE TRENČÍN REGION

Abstract

The transformation of the centrally-controlled economy into the market one and also the attempt to join the European integration structures have initiated many problems to be tackled within the development of regions. The change of Slovak social and economic structures has had a huge impact on the initial economic regional structures. The paper objectives are to identify and assess the changes in the economic structure of the Trencin Region and its rural and transition areas. The changes in the economic structure are assessed through an absolute and relative number of employees in the economic sectors (land management, industries, civil engineering, trade and other sectors), through the number of enterprises and businesses based in the region, through the business activity encoding in itself the dynamic growth of enterprises and businesses. The impact of changes in the economic structure and business activities on the social and economic development is assessed through basic indicators such as number of unemployed people, the unemployment rate and the GDP per capita. The methodology of analysis, synthesis, benchmarking and shift-share analysis are employed to recognize the changes in the economic structure. In line with the goal of the paper it has been found that within the rural and transition areas in the Trencin region, the changes are differentiated in factors and in the results in the development as well. The results show the sectors where jobs are created. The number of businesses was increasing in the period when the research was carried out, the indices of the business activity in rural and transition areas were becoming equal slowly. The disparity between the GDP per capita created in the Trencin Region and the average Slovak GDP has grown. The Trencin Region has had the tendency to stay behind in the economic development. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.19.2.5082