Deindustrialization; Liberalization; Active labor market policy; Welfare state; Vulnerable groups; Adult vocational education and training

This chapter deals with the effects of deindustrialization on the reskilling and upskilling of the most vulnerable social groups in the Czech Republic and the role of the welfare state in this process. The aim of this chapter is to show (1) how the participation of the most vulnerable social groups in adult vocational education and training (AVET) changed between 2004 and 2020 as a result of deindustri- alization and (2) how the development of welfare state expenditures affected their involvement in AVET. For this purpose, data from the regular representative survey of the Labor Force Survey, OECD, and the Czech Statistical Office are analyzed. The data were subject to both correlation and regression analyses. Based on the analysis, we show that deindustrialization in the Czech Republic significantly affects the participation of all vulnerable groups in AVET, especially through a change in the professional structure and a reduction in the level of job protection. The welfare state, which has been subject to liberalization since 2015, is unable to keep up with it and plays a small role in offsetting the effects of deindustrialization on vulnerable groups. Its expenditures significantly help only the participation of adults in the age cohort over 55 years. The expenditures related to active labor market policy do not affect its participation in AVET in the Czech Republic.