<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD JATS (Z39.96) Journal Publishing DTD v1.4 20221130//EN"
  "JATS-journalpublishing1-4.dtd">
<article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
         xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
         xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         article-type="research-article"
         dtd-version="1.4"
         xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="https://jats.nlm.nih.gov/archiving/1.4/xsd/JATS-archivearticle1-4-mathml3.xsd"
         xml:lang="en">

  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">CACTUS</journal-id>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">CACTUS J Tour Bus Manag Econ</journal-id>

      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>CACTUS – Journal of Tourism Business, Management and Economics</journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>

      <issn pub-type="epub">2247-3297</issn>

      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>ASE Publishing House</publisher-name>
        <publisher-loc>Bucharest, Romania</publisher-loc>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>

    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.24818/CTS/7/2025/2.02</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">cactus-2025-12</article-id>

      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Research Article</subject>
        </subj-group>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="jel">
          <subject>I21, I25, I26</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>

      <title-group>
        <article-title>Education, workforce integration, and social inclusion: how does Romania compare with the European Union?</article-title>
      </title-group>

      <contrib-group>
        
        <contrib contrib-type="author" corresp="yes">
          <name>
            <surname>Tanase</surname>
            <given-names>Alexandru Marian Petrisor</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5382-2926</contrib-id>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1_1"/>
          <email>alexandru.tanase@csie.ase.ro</email>
        </contrib>

        <contrib contrib-type="author" >
          <name>
            <surname>Titan</surname>
            <given-names>Emilia</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0614-1958</contrib-id>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2_1"/>
          
        </contrib>

        <contrib contrib-type="author" >
          <name>
            <surname>Caragea</surname>
            <given-names>Iliana</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6036-148X</contrib-id>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3_1"/>
          
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>

      
      <aff id="aff1_1">
        <label>1</label>
        <institution-wrap>
          <institution>Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania</institution>
        </institution-wrap>
      </aff>

      <aff id="aff2_1">
        <label>2</label>
        <institution-wrap>
          <institution>Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania</institution>
        </institution-wrap>
      </aff>

      <aff id="aff3_1">
        <label>3</label>
        <institution-wrap>
          <institution>Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania</institution>
        </institution-wrap>
      </aff>

      <pub-date pub-type="epub">
        <day>15</day>
        <month>12</month>
        <year>2025</year>
      </pub-date>

      <volume>7</volume>
      <issue>2</issue>
      
      

      <history>
        <date date-type="received"><day>15</day><month>12</month><year>2025</year></date>
        
        
      </history>

      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>Copyright © 2025, The Author(s)</copyright-statement>
        <copyright-year>2025</copyright-year>
        <copyright-holder>The Author(s)</copyright-holder>
        <license license-type="open-access" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">
          <license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).</license-p>
        </license>
        <ali:free_to_read/>
        <ali:license_ref>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/</ali:license_ref>
      </permissions>

      <abstract xml:lang="en"><p>Education and workforce integration are essential in the 21st century, particularly in discussions of sustainable economic growth and social cohesion. Furthermore, synergy between academic outcomes and labour market demands is crucial for fostering innovation, reducing unemployment, and maintaining competitiveness in the current economic landscape. Proper allocation of resources within the educational system not only enhances skill development but also improves the workforce’s ability to adapt rapidly to technological advancements. This paper examines the performance of European Union countries in a single year within this sector, using seven key variables related to education and the workforce. Principal Component Analysis was conducted to reduce dimensionality and identify three main components that summarise the variance observed in the data. The findings reveal considerable differences among EU countries regarding the coordination between education and workforce demands, largely due to inconsistent investment in education. Additionally, based on the three main components identified, cluster analysis was performed, revealing distinct groups of countries with similar outcomes, including high-performing countries with well-integrated education and employment systems, and low-performing countries where poor resource allocation has limited employment adaptability and economic engagement. Overall, the evidence highlights the importance of policies that reduce disparities, promote talent development, and strengthen the link between education and workforce demands, ensuring that future challenges are met with resilience and prosperity. </p></abstract>

      <kwd-group xml:lang="en">
        <title>Keywords</title>
        <kwd>tertiary education</kwd>
<kwd>school dropout</kwd>
<kwd>youth employment</kwd>
<kwd>social exclusion</kwd>
<kwd>workforce integration</kwd>
      </kwd-group>

      <self-uri content-type="text/html" xlink:href="http://0.0.0.0:3000/articles/cactus-issue-2-vol-7-no-2-2025-art-2"/>
      <self-uri content-type="application/pdf" xlink:href="http://0.0.0.0:3000/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/vol7_no2_2025_art3_II.1-Tanase-et-al.pdf"/>
      <self-uri content-type="application/xml" xlink:href="http://0.0.0.0:3000/api/articles/cactus-issue-2-vol-7-no-2-2025-art-2/jats"/>

      <related-article ext-link-type="uri" related-article-type="in-issue" xlink:href="http://0.0.0.0:3000/issues/cactus-issue-2-vol-7-no-2-2025" id="ra1"/>

    </article-meta>
  </front>

  <body>
    <p>Full text available in PDF format.</p>
  </body>

  <back>
    
    <ref-list>
      <title>References</title>
      
      <ref id="ref1">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Al Taweel, I. R. (2020). The impact of higher education outcomes on labour market requirements under the vision of Saudi Arabia 2030. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 7(6), 110–115. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2020.06.014</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.21833/ijaas.2020.06.014</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref2">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Alexa, S., &amp;amp; Baciu, E. (2021). School dropout and early school leaving in Romania: Tendencies and risk factors. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 13(2), 18–38. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/13.2/408</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.18662/rrem/13.2/408</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref3">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Assmann, M. L., &amp;amp; Broschinski, S. (2021). Mapping young NEETs across Europe: Exploring the institutional configurations promoting youth disengagement from education and employment. Journal of Applied Youth Studies, 4(2), 95–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43151-021-00040-w</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1007/s43151-021-00040-w</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref4">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Brekke, I. (2014). Long-term labour market consequences of dropping out of upper secondary school: Minority disadvantages? Acta Sociologica, 57(1), 25–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001699313495056</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1177/0001699313495056</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref5">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Brunello, G., &amp;amp; De Paola, M. (2014). The costs of early school leaving in Europe. IZA Journal of Labour Policy, 3, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-9004-3-22</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1186/2193-9004-3-22</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref6">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Dräger, J., Klein, M., &amp;amp; Sosu, E. (2024). The long-term consequences of early school absences for educational attainment and labour market outcomes. British Educational Research Journal, 50, 1636–1654. https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/7z2bx</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.35542/osf.io/7z2bx</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref7">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Eichhorst, W., Rodríguez-Planas, N., Schmidl, R., &amp;amp; Zimmermann, K. F. (2012). A roadmap to vocational education and training systems around the world (IZA Discussion Paper No. 7110). Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/7110/a-roadmap-to-vocationaleducation-and-training-systems-around-the-world</comment>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref8">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Eurostat. (2024). Living conditions in Europe – poverty and social exclusion. Statistics Explained. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Living_conditions_in_Europe_-_poverty_and_social_exclusion</comment>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref9">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Eurostat. (2025). Early leavers from education and training. Statistics Explained. Retrieved August 4, 2025, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Early_leavers_from_education_and_training</comment>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref10">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Günay, E. K. (2025). Macroeconomic indicators affect the NEET: A panel data analysis for BRICST countries. Business &amp;amp; Management Studies: An International Journal, 13(1), 229–242. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v13i1.2516</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.15295/bmij.v13i1.2516</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref11">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Harrington, D. (2009). Confirmatory factor analysis. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195339888.001.0001</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195339888.001.0001</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref12">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Helms Jørgensen, C., Järvinen, T., &amp;amp; Lundahl, L. (2019). A Nordic transition regime? Policies for school-to-work transitions in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. European Educational Research Journal, 18(3), 278–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904119830037</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1177/1474904119830037</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref13">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Kocsis, Z., &amp;amp; Pusztai, G. (2020). Student employment as a possible factor of dropout. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 17(4), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.12700/APH.17.4.2020.4.10</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.12700/APH.17.4.2020.4.10</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref14">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>OECD. (2023). Spotlight on vocational education and training: Findings from Education at a Glance 2023. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/acff263d-en</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1787/acff263d-en</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref15">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>OECD. (2025). OECD reviews of labour market and social policies: Romania 2025. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/f0532908-en</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1787/f0532908-en</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref16">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Redmond, P., &amp;amp; McFadden, C. (2023). Young people not in employment, education or training (NEET): Concepts, consequences and policy approaches. The Economic and Social Review, 54(4), 285–327.</comment>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref17">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Vasile, V., &amp;amp; Anghel, I. (2015). The educational level as a risk factor for youth exclusion from the labour market. Procedia Economics and Finance, 22, 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(15)00227-0</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1016/S2212-5671(15</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>

      <ref id="ref18">
        <element-citation publication-type="other">
          <comment>Wei, W. W. (2019). Multivariate time series analysis and applications. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119502951</comment>
          <pub-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1002/9781119502951</pub-id>
        </element-citation>
      </ref>
    </ref-list>
  </back>

</article>