There is very little research regarding the issue of telework in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. Reliable statistical data is even more difficult to obtain than in the European Union and no systematic surveys have been carried out. Nevertheless some comments can be made mainly in relation to the more advanced CEE countries of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, based on the statistical data which is available as well as on interviews with selected experts and decision-makers.
As in the EU, telework can only develop successfully when there is a solid infrastructural base enabling uptake of telework based employment, and when operating costs related to telework are affordable. Furthermore, telework can become widely used as an alternative form of work only when:
Unfortunately, most of above conditions apply only sparingly to the CEE countries. While there has been substantial progress in the development of the ICTs infrastructure and computerisation in the 1990s, these countries still lag far behind the EU. Only a very few CEE countries sometimes come up to, or surpasses, the level of southern EU nations, as for example in the number of registered web hosts standardised for population. (See Figure 3.4) Further, in terms of the affordability of ICTs, data from Poland shows that 100 hours on-line is equal to a typical monthly salary. Although, in recent years a number of new, private providers have appeared at the same time as the state telecommunication monopolies have embarked along the road of privatisation, developments still fall far short of the situation in the EU. Competition between providers, which is normally what is needed to drive down prices and drive up quality, does not yet exist to any significant extent. However, there are some indications that once a basic demand for services is established, prices will start to drop substantially in order to match other price levels like the cost of labour and salaries.
In terms of awareness of teleworking, the situation is that this new way of working is virtually unknown in the CEE countries. The most aware experts recognise that telework may be a suitable and useful form of work for certain individuals like journalists, consultants, engineers, etc., and that at least in the first phases of telework development most of the active teleworkers will be found in jobs closest to the teleworking infrastructure, for example those who work in the computing, telecommunications and Internet industries.
Figure 3.4 Penetration of Internet hosts in CEE countries:
| EU mean | 158 |
Poland | 677 |
| Greatest: (Finland) | 15 |
Croatia | 1,000 |
| Least: (Greece) | 552 |
Romania | 2,700 |
| Slovenia | 126 |
Bulgaria | 2,860 |
| Estonia | 150 |
Russia | 3,020 |
| Czech Republic | 234 |
Ukraine | 10,160 |
| Hungary | 322 |
Belarus | 34,500 |
| Slovakia | 588 |
Albania | 40,000 |
Source: ŽNASK - Informacja prasowa Warszawa, 19 marca 1997
However, the general consensus is that telework is at present of little direct relevance to either potential teleworkers or to the national economy. Although, CEE countries like Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have witnessed unprecedented economic growth in recent years, often much faster than in the EU, the shortage of specialists in various sectors, coupled with unemployment figures relatively low by EU standards, has meant that the economic drivers of telework have not yet become visible. Further, the relatively low salaries have not acted as an incentive for introducing telework as a cost-cutting measure.
Overall, therefore, although telework is virtually non-existent in the CEE countries at present, it is certainly worth monitoring developments and considering initiatives that could lead to improvements in the situation. The CEE countries can certainly benefit from the experience of other countries. The unprecedented growth of ICTs, if maintained at present levels, will soon put some CEE countries in the same league as many parts of the EU. This, combined with the relatively low cost of labour in these countries, could create excellent opportunities for the development of cross-border telework and cooperation, and thus contribute to their participation in the global economy. Indeed potential already exists for such cooperation between, for example, the Baltic and Scandinavian states and between Germany and Austria and their neighbours to the east, and such developments could have great importance as an increasing number of CEE countries attain membership of the European Union.
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