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Mathematics in Education, Research and Applications (MERAA), 2025(11), 2


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Published online 2026-01-30
DOI:https://doi.org/10.15414/meraa.2025.11.02.47-59

European manufacturing reshuffling within the scope of spatial-temporal data

Martin Maris
Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development, Institute of Sustainable Regional and Local Development, Slovak Republic

Article Fulltext (PDF), pp. 47–59
The paper comprehensively evaluates ongoing structural changes in the manufacturing sector across EU NUTS2 regions in the period from 2000 to 2021. The paper's objective aims on critical evaluation of ongoing structural changes in manufacturing industry with causal significance between changes in output and employment in the manufacturing sector on EU NUTS 3 level. For the purpose of the study analysis of categorical variables and two-way ANOVA model was employed. The findings reveal a significant spatial reshuffling of manufacturing across the EU, with substantial declines in sectoral employment observed in Western, Northern, and Southern regions, contrasted by notable employment growth in Central and Eastern Europe. The findings show a statistically significant spatial polarisation, with manufacturing output and employment increasingly concentrated in the EU Central and East, underscoring the emergence of a two-speed Europe. Furthermore, the analysis highlights a cause-and-effect relationship between manufacturing downsizing and increased unemployment rates in several EU regions, reflecting the socio-economic implications of industrial decline. In effect, the study identifies consistent patterns linking manufacturing employment changes, structural unemployment deepening, and regional economic growth, offering robust evidence of the interconnected dynamics. Despite inherent limitations, the findings critically question the effectiveness of the EU's flagship industrial policies, emphasising the role of deep structural factors in shaping the uneven trajectories of the EU manufacturing landscape.

Keywords: deindustrialisation, manufacturing reshuffling, manufacturing employment, structural changes, regional growth, industrial policy
JEL Classification: R11, O14