From First-Graders to Universities: Emigration Empties Schools and Endangers Crafts

Each new school year now opens with noticeably fewer first-graders, and the wave of emigration has steadily reached older age groups as well. Secondary schools see shrinking classes, and university lecture halls are no longer as full as they were in previous decades.

More young people are choosing to leave the country, often packing their suitcases in search of a higher standard of living, better educational opportunities or a clearer career prospect. What used to be an exception is becoming a regular feature of community life.

Loss of practical skills and empty workshops

The mass departure is already affecting the domestic economy: the shortage of personnel is felt across almost every economic and social sector, from healthcare to hospitality and industry. At the same time, the shortage is most acute among traditional craft trades.

Interest in vocational schools that teach trades such as plumbers, cobblers, electricians, carpenters, auto mechanics or construction workers has fallen to historic lows. Older master craftsmen are retiring and there are too few young people ready to take over their workshops.

While the labour market demands practical skills and concrete trades, the new generations are increasingly turning away from these options — raising an urgent question: who will provide basic services in society within a few years? Local businesses, public services and households all depend on these trades.

Photo: press material from the event