The changing world of labour in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe before and after the 1989/90 transition

ABSTRACT This study examines the social and economic changes experienced by the former class of workers in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe following the 1989–1990 shift from socialism to democracy. After introducing what common traits characterized the region’s workers during the late period of state socialism, I will analyze in detail the post-communist transition, the processes of both de- and post-industrialization and the various impacts of globalization, including its subsequent realignment of social classes. Questions such as the transformed content of physical labour, the changes involved in identifying as a labourer and the work or survival strategies employed by certain groups of workers will also be briefly addressed.