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The informal economy, often characterized by unregulated and untaxed economic activities, has significant yet understudied implications for sustainable development and inclusivity. This paper explores the influence of the size of the shadow economy and undeclared work patterns (envelope wage, without a formal contract and bogus self-employed) on the Leave No One Behind Index and the Sustainable Development Index developed by the United Nations across European countries from 2000 to 2021. Employing panel data regression models, the research investigates the differential impacts of informality on these indices, revealing a negative correlation with the informal economy and a positive association with various forms of undeclared work. The analysis, comprising 18 models segmented by region – Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Europe – demonstrates that the adverse effects of the informal economy are more pronounced, whereas the positive contributions of undeclared work patterns are subtler, yet significant. The study’s findings suggest a complex interaction between informal economic activities and sustainable development goals, challenging the conventional perspective on informality and its role in inclusive development. The results indicate that while the shadow economy may hinder broad development efforts, informal labor arrangements support vulnerable populations, underscoring the need for nuanced policy interventions that recognize the multifaceted nature of work and its impacts on development.

Purpose: This study investigates the role of telemedicine in sustaining healthcare systems in Europe, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It focusses on how telemedicine serves as a strategic response to modern healthcare challenges, emphasising its efficiency, accessibility, and patient-centred nature. Need for the study: The need for this study arises from the escalating demands on healthcare systems, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to understand the adoption of telemedicine practices across European Union (EU) countries and their impact on healthcare sustainability. Methodology: This study employs hierarchical and K-Means clustering to analyse EU citizens' attitudes towards teleconsultations during COVID-19. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used for data compression and insight extraction. Data is sourced from Eurofound's 2020 and 2021 surveys, involving extensive participant responses across the EU. Findings: The study's findings reveal significant shifts towards digital healthcare solutions, such as an increase in online consultations and prescriptions. It identifies different patterns of telemedicine use across EU countries, influenced by socioeconomic and geographical factors. These findings offer insights into future healthcare policy and strategy development. Practical implications: The findings provide valuable insights into the shifts in telemedicine adoption in the EU, highlighting the significance of economic and sociological factors in healthcare trends. This study stresses the importance of customising healthcare strategies to suit the unique needs and digital capabilities of different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies educational decisions, focusing on intentions of enrolment in master's education of STEM bachelor students. Integrating human capital theory with concepts of cultural and social capital, we propose a two-level model for the choice of pursuing master's degrees. First level (individual) includes factors covering individual habitus and organisational habitus (higher education institutions of bachelor students), while the second level (local) reflects the local business innovation environment. The proposed model was empirically tested on data collected from a sample of STEM and non-STEM bachelor students enroled in 10 public universities located in Romania. The results show that STEM students display a higher propensity to enrol in master's education, and the gap between STEM and non-STEM majors varies across regions. We find that educational decisions related to master's degrees are shaped by local circumstances reflecting the business innovation intensity as more innovative business contexts are less conducive for enrolment of students in master programmes. In addition, the findings of the study show that local circumstances are not independent of the field of study when shaping students' educational choices, highlighting the complex way in which individual and local levels factors interplay and shape educational decisions. STEM students' propensity to enrol in master's degrees is more influenced by the innovative business environment than other students. This study has implications for higher education policy and practice aiming to support longer educational careers in STEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal economy, often characterized by unregulated and untaxed economic activities, has significant yet understudied implications for sustainable development and inclusivity. This paper explores the influence of the size of the shadow economy and undeclared work patterns (envelope wage, without a formal contract and bogus self-employed) on the Leave No One Behind Index and the Sustainable Development Index developed by the United Nations across European countries from 2000 to 2021. Employing panel data regression models, the research investigates the differential impacts of informality on these indices, revealing a negative correlation with the informal economy and a positive association with various forms of undeclared work. The analysis, comprising 18 models segmented by region – Central and Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Europe – demonstrates that the adverse effects of the informal economy are more pronounced, whereas the positive contributions of undeclared work patterns are subtler, yet significant. The study's findings suggest a complex interaction between informal economic activities and sustainable development goals, challenging the conventional perspective on informality and its role in inclusive development. The results indicate that while the shadow economy may hinder broad development efforts, informal labor arrangements support vulnerable populations, underscoring the need for nuanced policy interventions that recognize the multifaceted nature of work and its impacts on development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Students' transition from education to employment is influenced by factors like the length and calibre of their education, demography, labour market conditions, and the general state of the economy. Regardless of the economy, education systems should seek to ensure that students have the skills required for the labour market. This will help them better transition from school to work. This study examines the work skills that companies require for entry-level positions in Romania. Need for Study: Previously, text analysis studies treated the job market only for the IT industry in Romania. To understand the demand-side opportunities and restrictions, assessing the employment opportunities for young people in the Romanian labour market is necessary. Methodology: A text mining approach from 842 unstructured data of the existing job positions in October 2022 for fresh graduates or students is used in this chapter. The study uses data from LinkedIn job descriptions in the Romanian job market. The methodology involved is focused on text retrieval, text-pre-processing, word cloud analysis, network analysis, and topic modelling. Findings: The empirical findings revealed that the most common words in job descriptions are experience, team, work, skills, development, knowledge, support, data, business, and software. The correlation network revealed that the most correlated pairs of words are gender–sexual–race–religion–origin–diversity–age–identity–orientation–colour–equal–marital. Practical Implications: This study looked at the job market and used text analytics to extract a space of skill and qualification dimensions from job announcements relevant to the Romanian employment market instead of depending on subjective knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analysed the relationship between informality and sustainable development goals using the bibliometric analysis. The empirical results emphasized that urban development, women's agenda, and decent work are the main areas of informality circumscribed in the issue of sustainable development, guiding the priorities in research and for decision makers by conclusive and relevant information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]