
Social Scoreboard – Romania vs. Poland in the EU
Eurostat has published the state of play of the Social Scoreboard for Member States, summarised in the evolution of 16 profile indicators. In terms of GDP per capita at standard purchasing power parity, Romania is at 80% of the EU average, on a par with Poland and higher than Hungary, Croatia (76%), Slovakia (73%), Latvia (71%), Greece (67%) and Bulgaria (64%).
But GDP per capita is not an end in itself, but should be found in living conditions, especially at the social level. I mean, more money is not enough, it also matters what you do with it. Or, the data collected put us in a clearly unfavourable light not only in the Union, but also in relation to Poland, a country also integrated from the former Eastern bloc, the closest to us in terms of size and economic structure.
Let’s take it one by one. In terms of school dropout, we stand at 16.6% (1 in 6 young people), well above the EU average (9.5%), after a marginal improvement since 2012 (17.8%). At a very long distance from Poland (3.7% and which reached a maximum of only 5.8% during the analysed period). With the subsequent long-term consequences on the labour market.
Contrary to the contribution brought by IT to GDP and the general impression, the proportion of Romanian citizens who have minimal or basic knowledge in digital technology has stalled in the last two years at the level of 27.7%, compared to 44.3% in Poland and 55.6% EU average.
At the share of young people who are not in activity or in any form of professional training (abbreviated NEET), the two are placed on both sides of the European average: 19.3% Romania, 11.2% EU and 9.1% Poland. A country that started in 2012 from a level similar to the EU average and which has shown that it can do better.
The gender gap in employment is 19.1% in Romania, again well above the level of 12.9% in Poland or 10.2% EU average. For objective reasons, the public discourse does not include the causes, which are otherwise evident at the socio-cultural level. Thus, women work in a significantly lower proportion, after which they subsequently have lower incomes (the inequality is almost zero in pay for similar positions).
Social inequality is more pronounced in Romania, with a ratio between the upper and lower quintile of 5.83, above the European average of 4.72, below which Poland ranks somewhat naturally with 4.06% (like other ex-socialist states in Central Europe). This also outlines a society with less cohesion.
A big problem, which emerged after the events of 1989, is the employment rate of only 68.7% (improved from 56.8% in 2012 but below the officially assumed threshold requirement of 70%), compared to 75.3% in the EU and, again better than the European average, Poland, with 77.9%. Basically, there the social pulls up the economy, in our country the economy slips in transmission to the social.
In terms of the unemployment rate, we are, together with our more northern colleagues, below the EU average of 6.1%, but the level in Romania has doubled (5.6% in Romania, compared to 2.8% in Poland). This raises a question mark regarding employment policies, especially since in 2012 Poland was at 10.4% and we were at 8.7%.
Moreover, in long-term unemployment we came to exceed the EU average last year (2.2% compared to 2.1%), while the Poles, who were in a weaker position ten years ago, fell to only 0.8%. Which is why we would do well to look nearby if we are interested in the field, the best social security being offered by having a job.
Moving on to the second part of the indicators very well-summarized by Eurostat, it can be suspected that the disposable income in households has increased in Poland since 2012 and until now a little more than in Romania and, of course, given the important base effect, than the EU average (in 2020, 150.78% in Poland, 142.79% in Romania and 110.12% in the EU, with reference in 2008).
The fact is that regarding the risk of poverty or social exclusion, we have exactly the same unemployment ratio, new European champions with 32% and the Poles at only 16.3% and well below the EU average of 21.4%. Here we have a major problem, since it is not so much the peaks of well-being that make the difference between countries as the share of the most needy (see the Nordic countries).
The wrong strategic orientation towards the past, that brings votes, instead of the future, then explains why the same indicator rises to 39% in the case of Romanian children (a situation likely to weigh in the long term on our chances of going towards the European average), compared to 16.9% in Polish children (observed, “in line” with the general situation) and 24.8% in the EU.
The impact of social transfers in reducing poverty is much lower in Romania (15.6% and decreasing for two years now) than in Poles (36.1%). Again almost miraculously, from the perspective of the Romanian officials, above the EU average (35%), after having made this a goal in recent years.
Only in the employment gap for people with disabilities we stand slightly better than Poland, with 29.2% compared to 33.9%, but far from the EU average (21.5%). With the important observation that here we have a questionable situation in that the persons in question may or may not have to work according to the state offering them a certain level of benefits.
On the problems of supporting the cost of housing, we are back above the EU average after three years in which we managed to get below it (9.1% compared to 8.9%) and, again, we are significantly weaker than Poland (5.9%). The withdrawal of the capping on electricity payments next spring risks sending us even higher in the unwanted ranking of difficulties in paying bills.
It is only at the 15th indicator that we find something that positions us closer to Poles, with a share of 12.3% of children under the age of 3 in formal care (12.6% in Poland), about a third of the European usage (37.5%). That is, we need more settlements so that parents can work peacefully.
Last but not least, as an alarm signal for the health system, the percentage of unmet needs in terms of access to medical services is higher in Romania. That is, 5.2% compared to 3.6% in Poland and 2.4% the EU average. And its reduction is not in sight, and even the situation has systematically worsened since 2017, when we were at 4.7%, onwards.
All in all, social statistics presented in comparable terms across countries and at EU level should seriously give decision-makers pause and be a topic of debate for society as a whole. Respectively, what type of European country we would like to be, how sustainable in time is the current economic performance and how can we see it materialize for the population.
Photo source: PxHere.