New poor

Category of workers forming as a result of the economic restructuring brought about by the scientific-technical revolution. It is made up of office workers, engineers, technicians and skilled workers unable to find employment; recent graduates without jobs; bankrupt farmers; residents of abandoned industrial areas; retirees whose pensions have fallen below the minimum subsistence level. The majority of the n.p. quickly lose access to benefits and services for the unemployed. The n.p. frequently find themselves forced to work as day-laborers or occasional workers, without training or work contracts. To combat this “technological poverty,” it is important to create an international retraining system, to contribute to the de-statization of the economy, and transfer efforts to the county and municipal levels, creating new centers for training, employment, recreation and culture.