Labour market inequality among Central and Eastern European countries: an emphasis on the gender employment and pay gap

Dennis Nchor () and Radek Náplava ()
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Dennis Nchor: Mendel University Brno, Department of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics
Radek Náplava: Mendel University Brno, Department of Economics, Faculty of Business and Economics

Empirical Economics, 2025, vol. 69, issue 6, No 27, 3935-3966

Abstract: Abstract There is less emphasis in the literature on the gender employment and pay gaps among Central and Eastern European Countries. Our paper therefore fills this gap by throwing more light on the phenomena. First, we explored the evolution of the gender employment and pay gaps in each of the countries. Second, we tested for convergence and club convergence among the Member States of the European Union. Third, we assessed the drivers of the gender employment gap with emphasis on the role of technological progress. Our results show that Bulgaria has the least gender employment gap over a longer period and Slovakia since 2020. Hungary, Poland, Romania and Czechia have high gender employment gaps. We found that the least gender pay gaps occur in Poland and Romania whereas Bulgaria, Czechia Hungary and Slovakia have high gender pay gaps. Our test of convergence confirms the presence of club convergence for both the gender employment and pay gaps. Lastly, we found that technological progress reduces the gender employment gap in low skilled and high-educated labour, while increasing that of middle-educated labour indicating the likelihood of technological progress displacing women who on the average perform more routine tasks compared to men.

Keywords: Gender; Employment gap; Pay gap; Technological progress; Panel cointegration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J16 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s00181-025-02831-z

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