The Main Structural Deficiencies on the Rural Labour Market and Employment Quality

Abstract

Economic and social importance of rural areas in the countrys context is given by the significant weights on the area, population, gross value added, employment and by the high percentage of rural population who does not have any other form of income than the one earned from land use. The rural development strategy and the other programmatic documents for the period 2014-2020 have as the fundamental objectives revitalize rural areas, the agricultural sector to become an engine of growth and a source of jobs. This paper highlights through a comparative analysis between Romania and Member States of EU, the main structural deficiencies of agricultural sector and of rural labor market concerning to employment on economic sectors, the employment status, level of education and structure and dynamics of agricultural holdings. To capture the effect of structural weaknesses on the quality of employment in rural areas was used a sociological investigation which was designed by the authors of the paper, carried out in 2015 and aimed at collecting and analyzing information which formed the basis for assessing the employment potential in rural areas. The paper ends with principal conclusions identified as follow of data analyses and recommendations for active policies strands based on the transfer of labor from subsistence farming into the non-agricultural activities with added value, with growth potential and competitiveness and increasing employment quality.