Institutional Change in Old Industrial Areas – Lessons for ... - UMAR

Fig. 3-5 Foundation Intensity in Upper Styria between 1993 and 1998
Foundation Intensity - Political Districts (1993-1998)
Mürzzuschlag
Liezen
Leoben
4,9
5,4
5,9
Styrian
Average 6,2
Knittelfeld
6,1
Judenburg
Bruck/Mur
5,8
5,9
Upper Styria
Graz&Umgebung
5,7
7,3
0,0 2,0 4,0 6,0 8,0
3.3 Summary
The applied indicators in this section deliver in many cases the structural changes in
Upper Styria that occurred during the last 20 years. Demographic and labour market
indicators proofed a strong decline in employment numbers not only due to early
retirement programs but to brain drain from the case study region between 1981 and
1991, i.e. outward migration of young people. However, latest data predict a
turnaround of this trend.
Focusing on sectional employment, shifts from the primary and secondary- towards
the tertiary sector could be observed, which almost compensated set-offs from the
first two sectors. The trend towards the service sector was backed on a general
movement towards higher education. Within the case study region, some political
districts even shadowed the average growth rates of higher education on provincial
level, although there are clear signs of uneven distribution of regional change in
qualification within the case study region.
Analysing the unemployment rate surprisingly a lower rate in the case study region
compared to Styrian average till 1989 resulted – a relatively late reaction of the
indicator to the structural crises. Between 1991 and 1998, Upper Styria saw rises in
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