1990 POPULATION CENSUS Detailed data based on a 2 per cent representative sample (1992)

I. REVIEW OF THE DATA - A/ Main characteristics of the population

Educational attainment of active earners In the 1980s too, the improvement in the educational level of active earners observed for a longer period continued. This process has three main causes: - within the totál population the proportion of those with higher education grew; - the demographic change, i.e. the continuous ageing (and becoming inactive) of the older stratum with a lower educational level and that those belonging to the young age groups with higher educational level started to work produced, alsó by themselves, a favourable structural transformation; - those working could acquire higher qualifications alsó at evening-correspondence courses, though recently the importance of this factor has decreased. In 1990, the number of active earners with completed third-level education was over half a millión, and their proportion amounted to 11.6 per cent, which is nearly one and a half times as high as ten years before and more than the double compared to the respective proportion twenty years before.A similar tendency can be observed studying the share of those working with at least completed secondarylevel education. Namely, in 1970, somewhat less than one fifth (19 per cent) of the economically active population had secondary or higher education, in 1980, their proportion was over 29 per cent and in 1990 38.5 per cent. In 1990, of 100 economically active persons 23 had completed secondary vocational school or specialized school education. Including this group, too, a great majority (62 per cent) of those working acquired qualifications over the generál school level. Besides, it is worth mentioning that the share of those having secondary-level specialized qualifications was almost three times higher than twenty years before. One third of the economically active population completed the 8th grade of the generál school without acquiring any higher qualification. Between 1970 and 1990, this proportion did not change substantially. On the other hand, the proportion of those who were not able to complete the generál school among those working feli rapidly: in 1970 they represented nearly two fifths, in 1980 not quite one fifth and in 1990 only one twentieth of the economically active population. 22. Active earners by highest educational attainment and sex (percentage) Sex Totál General school Completed Sex Totál less than 6 grades 6-7 8 secondlevel apprentice or vocational school secondary school third-level education Sex Totál less than 6 grades grades secondlevel apprentice or vocational school secondary school third-level education 1970 Males 100.0 12.6 27.9 30.0 11.2 12.1 6.1 Females 100.0 9.1 27.8 38.3 4.6 16.3 3.8 Totál 100.0 11.2 27.9 33.4 9.5 13.8 5.2 1980 Males 100.0 5.0 12.8 32.2 23.1 18.2 8.7 Females 100.0 4.5 14.8 39.6 8.8 25.0 7.3 Totál 100.0 4.8 13.7 35.4 16.9 21.1 8.1 1990 Males 100.0 1.9 3.3 30.5 31.1 21.6 11.5 Females 100.0 1.4 3.0 37.4 13.2 33.4 11.7 Totál 100.0 1.7 3.2 33.6 23.1 26.9 11.6 19