The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 4-5, 2004-2005 ______

UNEMPLOYMENT IN DAMBOVITA COUNTY WITH A SPECIAL REGARD TO THE SUB-CARPATHIAN REGION BETWEEN DAMBOVITA AND IALOMITA VALLEYS

Carmen Antohe*

Key words : unemployment, diminution, high values, low values, employers, rate,unemployees. Abstract. The economic restructuring which affected the industrial unities, led to unemployment, a phenomenon with important social implications which motivates this study and because almost 50% of the inhabitants work in the secondary sector we think apropriate to approach this kind of subject. We refer to the period 2000 – 2004, with data from Labour Exchange County Agency (A.J.O.F.M.D.) and Population Census from 2002. In the last four years, the average unemployment rate in Dambovita county has been of 9.6% which is over ’s average from the same period – 8.8%. The higher values were in 2000 and 2002 and the lowest in 2003. In winter months there are the highest values while in summer the situation is better. The Sub – Carpathian area between Dambovita and Ialomita valleys had smaller rates than the county’s average – 4.6%. The number of unemployees was constantly diminishing since 2001 until the beginning of 2004 with over 66% due to people’s reorientation in agricultural activities in their own farms or in service activities. Most unemployees are men (62%), with a secondary school diploma (86.4%), between 18 – 30 years old (42.5%) from which 35% are looking for their first job.

In this region, almost 50% of the inhabitants work in the secondary sector. The economic restructuring which affected the industrial unities, led to unemployment, a phenomenon with important social implications which motivates this study. In the last four years, the average unemployment rate in Dambovita county has been of 9.6% which is over Romania’s average from the same period – 8.8%. Comparing the year 2000 with 2001, we can see that the values were quite the same. In the year 2002 there was a considerable difference. While Romania’s rate scarcely diminished to 8.4%, in Dambovita county it increased to 11.1%, almost equal to the value from the year 2000. There was the year when many employees benefited the compensating payments in order to quit their jobs. In 2003 in Romania the unemployment rate continued to diminish to 7.6%, while in Dambovita county there was a considerable diminution to 6.9% (fig. 1).

Figure 1

A COMPARISON BETWEEN ROMANIA'S AND DAMBOVITA COUNTY'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (2000 - 2003)

12 10 8 Dambovita county 6 Romania

rate (%) 4 2 0 year year year year 2000 2001 2002 2003

* Valahia University of Târgovişte

266 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 4-5, 2004-2005 ______We can also see higher values in 2000 and 2002 and the lowest values in 2003 on the graphic for Dambovita county. In winter there are the highest values while in summer the situation is better (fig. 2) Figure 2

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN DAMBOVITA COUNTY (2000-2003)

20 year 2000 15 year 2001 10 year 2002 rate (%) rate 5 year 2003 0

May July March January November September month . Figure 3 DAMBOVITA COUNTY – AVERAGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (2000 – 2003)

Over 68% from the 82 administrative unities of the county (76 communes and 6 towns) have an average unemployment rate between 4% and 8%. Two towns, Gaesti and are included in this cathegory. Almost 15% from the localities in south-east and north-west Dambovita including Targoviste, have small rates. Over 13% of eastern localities around have high values. Two of the three communes which have the highest values are also near Moreni. Thus, the eastern part of Dambovita county is the most affected (fig.3).

267 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 4-5, 2004-2005 ______The Sub – Carpathian area between Dambovita and Ialomita valleys has smaller rates than the county’s average – 4.6%. Almost 60% from the localities have the highest values between 5% and 6% and are situated on Ialomita valley, much more industrialized than Dambovita valley, well known as an important tree - growing area (fig.4). Here, more than half of the inhabitants work in their own farms such as in – 67%, – 63%, Tatarani – 56%, Voinesti – 54%, Barbuletu – 50% or in other activities on their own : Barbuletu – 31%, Malu cu Flori – 25%, Voinesti – 21%.

Figure 4 SUB – CARPATHIANS BETWEEN DAMBOVITA AND IALOMITA VALLEYS THE AVERAGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (2000-2003)

On Ialomita valley, more than half of the inhabitants are employees, mostly in the private sector : Motaieni – 72%, – 67%, Pietrosita – 60%, Branesti – 60%, Sotanga – 55%, Buciumeni – 49%, Vulcana Bai – 48%. In the two towns of the region, the percentage is higher, of course : – 81.5% and – 81%. This explains the higher unemployment rate in this region. Between 2001 and 2004 the number of unemployees in the Sub- Carpathians between Dambovita and Ialomita valleys constantly diminished with 2 518 persons, which means 66.3% due to population reorientation in agricultural activities in their own farms or in service activities. Between 2002 and 2003 there was the greatest diminution, with almost 54%. In Runcu and Branesti the number of unemployees diminished the most with 67.4% and 64.8% respectively, in the year 2003. The number diminished less in Voinesti, with only 1.8% and in Fieni with 2% in 2004. There were also increases of the number of unemployees : Malu cu Flori – over 55%, Pucheni – 42.4% in 2004. In Pucioasa there was an increase of only 1% between 2003 and 2004, where many dismissals had already been made in the previous years. Generally speaking, the increases were insignificant, most of the localities (10) had constant diminutions between 2001 and 2004, which demonstrated that the situation became better, people could find different alternatives : their own business, other jobs or looking for a job abroad. Probably, other cause was the finishing of all the legal social securities and their erasion from the A.J.O.F.M. Dambovita lists. Observing the gender structure we can see that for 62% of male unemployees was the most difficult to find a job between 2001 and 2004. Women could easier find a job because the textile industry and health treatment activities are well represented in Pucioasa and Moroeni. Remarcable is that in the towns the percentage of women unemployees is higher (45%) than in the villages (37%) because most of the women have agricultural

268 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 4-5, 2004-2005 ______activities in their farms or on the family’s land. Though, there are also villages with a high percentage of women unemployees : Branesti – 49.6%, Motaeni – 45.9%, Sotanga – 44.2%, villages which are under the direct influence of the neighbouring towns. Women unemployees are under 50% both from those with a university degree (49.4%) and especialy with secondary studies (35.3%). Only high school graduate women find a job with difficulty (65.5%). There are also more men unemployees after age groups. Age groups over 50 has the higher percentage of men unemployees – 73.9%. There are a little over 50 in the 30 – 40 years age group – 56.9% followed by those between 18 – 30 years – 60% and 40 – 50 years – 67.6%. There is no difference between towns and villages by age groups and graduation except the high school graduate unemployees over 50 where women unemployees percentage in the villages is higher than in the towns. In conformity with graduation, the highest number of unemployees were secondary school graduates with an average of 86.4% between 2001 and 2004. In the villages there are high percentages of secondary school graduate unemployees such as Runcu – 94.2% and Pietrosita – 90.6%. The commune of Voinesti has less unqualified unemployees (76.2%) even than the towns of Fieni – 85.3% and Pucioasa – 83.7%. Long way off, follow the high school graduate unemployees with 10.6%, more numerous in Voinesti (18.5%) and less in Runcu - 3.8%. In villages and in towns there are almost the same percentages – 10.3% and 10.6% respectively, which means that high school diploma has apparently the same importance wherever people live. The most wanted are those with universitary studies because only 3% of them are out of job. The highest number of literate unemployees are in Branesti – 6% and in the town of Pucioasa – 5.9%. In the town of Fieni the situation isn’t better either, 4.5% of all the unemployees are literate. As a matter of fact, in the urban space, the percentage of literate unemployees is duble than in the villages, but the number of literate population is higher in the towns. From this analysis we can see that employers prefer well trained people with, at least, a high school diploma. The age groups analysis of unemployees is also very useful both for sociological and psihological studies. Beyond expectation, the highest number of unemployees (42.5%) are from 18 – 30 age group. The highest percentage of young unemployees is because over 35% of them are looking for their first job. There is more and more difficult for young high school or university graduates to find a job according to their diploma, since the employers ask for work experience. This is why they enter their names at Labour Exchange Office to have a minimum legal income while they keep looking for a reasonable job. In the commune of Voinesti 52% (much over the region’s average) of the youth between 18 – 30 are unemployed. Vulcana Bai (48.7%) and Barbuletu (47%) also have a quite high percentage of young unemployees, due to their rather isolated position than the two main valleys. Lower percentages (35.8%) are in Moreni and Pucheni. Next is the 30 – 40 age group with almost 28% of unemployees. Those over 35 years old, once they become unemployees, they hardly find another job because this age seems to be a sociological as well as a psihological “threshold”. In Motaieni (34%) and Tatarani (33.4%) the situation is very difficult, but better in Vulcana Bai (23.5%) and Fieni (23.5%). In the age group 40 – 50 years, 20.4% are unemployees. Those who are almost 50 year old prefer to retire because they can hardly find another job. Most of them are in Fieni (26%) and the least in Malu cu Flori (13.5%). In this cathegory we can underline a quite

269 The Annals of Valahia University of Târgovişte, Geographical Series, Tome 4-5, 2004-2005 ______big difference between villages (19.7%) and towns (25.1%), comparing with relative equal values from other age groups. The lowest percentage of unemployees is in the age group over 50, only 9.2%. Here are the most retiring unemployees who prefer this alternative. In Pucheni, the value is duble – 18.5% as compared to Tatarani which has a twice smaller percentage – 4.4%. There is also a low percentage of unemployees over 50 in Voinesti (5.2%). As a conclusion, the number of unemployees has been continuously diminishing since 2001 until the beginning of 2004 with over 66%. Most unemployees are men (62%), with a secondary school diploma (86.4%), between 18 – 30 years old (42.5%) from which 35% are looking for their first job.

References

*** (2000 – 2004) – Date statistice, Agenţia Judeţeană a Oficiului Forţei de Muncă Dâmboviţa, Statistica Pieţei Muncii. *** (2002) – Recensământul Populaţiei şi al Locuinţelor

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