ERSTE FoundationFellowship for Social Research

Labour Market and Employment in Central and Eastern Europe

2013–2014

Personal Development and the Flexible Contracts: Depoliticized Class Struggles between Highly Skilled Workers and Manual Workers in ClujNorbert Petrovici

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Personal) Development) and) the) Flexible) Contracts:) Depoliticized) Class) Struggles)between)Highly)Skilled)Workers)and)Manual)Workers)in)Cluj))Norbert)Petrovici) )BabeșFBolyai)University))

Abstract:"In"the"midst"of"diminishing"levels"of"aggregate"demand"for"jobs"at"European"level"and"and"”transitional"unemployment”,"employability"promises"also" in"Central"Europe"the"freedom"to"choose"between"successive"positions"and"transform"them"in" learning"experiences"within"a"career" field."The"firm" becomes" increasingly" unreliable" in" providing" a" stable" position" or" even" the" prospects" of"advancement,"but"may"offer" the"necessary"support" to"enhance"one’s"employability." " In" this"paper" I"aim" to"better"understand" the" relation"between" the"employee"and" the" firm"by"putting" in"doubt" the"classless" imaginary" of" the" employability" discourse." Focussing" on" the" employability" narrative" among"highly"skilled,"skilled"and"unskilled"workers"in"a"middle"scale"city"in"Romania,"Cluj,"a"second"tire"city"in"the"urban"hierarchy"of"Central"Europe,"I"will"question"the"very"assumption"that"the"whole"issue"of"the"employeeFemployer"relation"is"a"oneFtoFone"relation"between"a"person"and"the"firm,"without"political"consequences" for" the" other" employees." In" this" paper" I" explore" the" way" employability" works" in"producing" new" class" tensions" between" the" various" fractions" of" the" workers," following" the"classification"effects"of"the"selfFdevelopment,"selfFbettering"and"selfFeducation"narratives."

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Employability,)selfFdevelopment)and)class)struggles)in)Eastern)Europe)

Despite"diminishing"levels"of"European"aggregate"demand"for"jobs"(Ark"et"al.,"2012)"and"”transitional"unemployment”"(Bell"and"Mickiewicz,"2013;"Blažek"and"Netrdová,"2012),"many"East"European"cities"were" able" to" negotiated" a" new" position" of" command" and" control" in" the" global" urban" hierarchy"(Taylor"et"al.,"2012)."The"last"two"decades,"for"the"major"cities,"meant"major"transformation"in"terms"of"connectivity"to"the"global" flows"of"capital" (Banczyk,"2012)." Job"creation"was"predicated" in"these"cities"on"service"offshoring,"consultancies"and"managing"the"sale"of"state"assets"and"the"creation"of"new" economic" institutions," local" businessFtoFbusiness" chain" making," and" command" and" control"function"for"the"new"production"facilities"set"up"in"the"region"(Gál,"2014;"Bell"and"Mickiewicz,"2013)."A"new"wave"of"optimism"came"with"the"narrative"of"“portfolio"worker”"(Handy,"1995)"as"the"social"structure"of"the"city"accommodates"an"expansion"of"the"professional"positions"at"the"expense"of"the"blue"collars"relocated"in"the"suburbs"and"surrounding"towns"(d'OIvidio"and"Ranci,"2014;"Stanilov"and"Sýkora,"2014)."However,"for"those"in"the"new"jobs,"epitomes"of"the"new"globalized"Eastern"European"urban"economy,"the"firm"becomes"increasingly"unreliable"in"providing"a"stable"position"or"even"the"prospects" of" advancement" (Bell" and" Mickiewicz," 2013)." Nonetheless," the" firm" may" offer" the"necessary"support"to"enhance"one’s"employability"(Chertkovskaya"et"al.,"2013;"Costea"et"al.,"2012)."Employability"promises"the"freedom"to"choose"between"successive"positions"and"transform"them"in"learning"experiences"within"a"career"field"(Iellatchitch"et"al.,"2003).""

The"plausibility"of"the"employability"discourse"and"the"hopes"in"career"across"firms"is"strongly"rooted"in" the" actual" expansion" of" service" sector" and" the" changing" social" stratification" of" urban" Eastern"Europe" (TomescuFDubrow,"2011;" Janicka"and"Słomczyński,"2008)."While" these" transformations"are"especially" visible" in" the" major" cities" across" the" region" (Sýkora" and" Bouzarovski," 2012)," they" are"certainly" important"also" in"secondFtier"cities"(Evans,"2013)." In"this"paper" I" focus"on"the"city"of"Cluj,"the"second"most"important"city"in"Romania,"and"a"second"rank"city"of"325"000,"in"the"East"European"urban" hierarchy" (Gál," 2014)." The" city" rescaled" itself" becoming" an" important" player," successfully"

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repositioning"in"the"financial"scapes,"production"services"and"intensiveFknowledge"services"(Petrovici"and"Simionca,"2011;"Gál," 2014)." The" city’s"official" strategy" in" the" last"decade," sustained"by"a" local"proFgrow"alliance"of"highly"network"firms"(Petrovici"and"Simionca,"2011),"was"to"boost"service"jobs"and" create" policies" that" stimulated" the" service" sector" (Hintea," 2008)." The" new" hero" in" the" public"discourse" both" of" the" administration" and" of" the"managers," became" the" creative," selfFdeveloping,"selfFbettering,"cheap"and"disciplined"subject"(Zincă,"2011)."Between"the"2002"and"2011"censuses,"the"number"of"professionals"in"the"city"grew"with"18%"and"the"service"workers"with"8%,"while"the"total"numbers"of"blue"collar"workers"decrease"with"almost"10%."New"highly"skilled"workers"were"invited"in"the"city"as"creative"and"managerial"personnel,"while"skilled"and"unskilled"workers"were"put" in"a"very" frail" position" in" terms" of" bargaining" power" over" production" processes" and"material" rewards"associated"with"their"jobs"(Petrovici,"2011b)."For"some"workers"becoming"an"urban"dweller"becomes"an"issue"in"itself."Cluj"hosts"the"biggest"informal"settlement"in"Romania"on"the"city"landfill"of"more"than"1500"people,"inhabited"mostly"by"unqualified"workers"and"their"families."Most"of"them"are"selfFidentifying"as"Roma,"working"informally"and"formally"in"the"recycling"industry"(Vincze,"2013).""

In"this"paper"I"aim"to"better"understand"the"relation"between"the"employee"and"the"firm"by"putting"in" doubt" the" classless" imaginary" of" the" employability" discourse." Focussing" on" the" employability"narrative"among"highly"skilled,"skilled"and"unskilled"workers"in"Cluj,"I"will"question"the"very"assumption"that"the"whole"issue"of"the"employeeFemployer"relation"is"a"oneFtoFone"relation"between"a"person"and"the"firm,"without"political"consequences"for"the"other"employees,"as"the"employability"narrative"solicits."

While" professionalization" is" predicated" on" a" career" field," this" very"move" is" based" on" putting" the"employee"in"collaborative"fluxes"inside"the"firm"and"among"firms."The"employee"is"part"of"a"division"of" work," which" produces" social" divisions" in" the" whole" body" of" workers." The" narrative" of"employability" is" not"without" consequences" for" the" class" tensions" that" emerge" among" the" various"factions"of"workers,"divided"and"valorised"differentially"by" the"capital,"according" to" their"skills"and"scarcity."

In"Eastern"Europe" the"criticism"against"Fordism,"bureaucracy,"and"autocratic"managerial" styles"are"most" of" times" conflated" with" the" criticism" of" the" actuallyFexistingFsocialism" (Simionca," 2012b;"Simionca,"2013;"Ban,"2014)."The"critique"of"old"Fordist" loyalties"and" the"complex"bureaucracies"of"the" factories" in" played" out,"most" of" the" times," as" a" critique" of" “communism”" (Buden," 2010)." The"agenda" of" employability" has" at" its" centre" a" very" particular" selfFwork" ethic" sustained" by" the" selfFgovernment" techniques"of" the" flexible," skilled," learner," and"enterprising" subject" (Chertkovskaya"et"al.," 2013;" Costea" et" al.," 2012)." This"work" ethic" promises" a" very" different" subject" from" that" of" the"communist"Fordist"subject,"cleaned"from"the"old"“mentalities”."Nonetheless," it" is"a"critique"against"bureaucracy,"autocracy,"overFregulation"on"the"shop"floor"not"dissimilar"to"those"reported"in"other"contexts"with"a"history"of"Fordism,"industrialization"and"urbanization"(Sennett,"1998)."In"fact,"these"discursive" formations" are" far" from" being" exceptional."Much" of" the" current"work" arrangements" in"core"capitalist"countries"can"be"linked"exactly"to"the"ability"to"capture"and"employees"criticism"and"discontent" (Boltanski" and" Chiapello," 2005)" with" the" loyalties" and" arrangements" solicited" by" the"bureaucratic" organizations" (Burawoy," 1985;" Sennett," 1998;" Bloom," 2013)" from" the" Fordist"“organizational" man”" (Whyte," 1956)." Ethics" of" popular" entrepreneurship," strives" towards"independences"and"desires" for" freedom,"have"been"adapted" to"organizational"ends" to"produce"an"entrepreneuring"self"in"the"confines"of"the"capitalist"firm.""

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Critical" scholars" point" that" employability" prompts" a" new" dependence" to" the" manager’s" figure"(Cremin," 2010)." Arguably," employability" produces" an" idealized" identification" with" the" manager’s"desires," predicated" on" the" hope" that" employees’" frailty" in" the" organization"may" be" overcome" by"assembling" the" various"managerial" needs" and" job" openings" in" a" career" (Bloom," 2013)." Inside" this"narrative,"the"burden"of"organizational"flexibility"is"put"on"the"shoulders"of"the"employee,"called"to"better" herself" and" find" new" opportunities," once" the" organizational"milieu" is" no" longer" acceptable"(Alvesson" and" Sveningsson," 2008)." Organizational" claim" making" is" hindered" by" continuously"individualization" and" depolitization" of" the"work" relations" (Garsten" and" Jacobsson," 2013;" Sharone,"2007;"Garsten"and"Jacobsson,"2004)."The"employee" is"decoupled"from"any" internal"control,"except"for"the"informal"relations"developed"with"supervisor"and"the"colleagues,"and"reoriented"towards"the"career"field"(Gunz"and"Peiperl,"2007;"Iellatchitch"et"al.,"2003).""

Such"critical"appraises"open"new"ways"to"question"and"to"deepen"the"complex"relation"in"which"the"employees"are"made"part"of"and"asked"to"contribute"to"a"firm."Employability"does"not"suspend"the"conflictFridden"character"of" the" social"division"of"work" that"are" in"place"both" in" the" industrial" and"postFindustrial"arrangements."But"much"of"the"struggles"between"labour"and"capital"are"deflected"as"tensions" between" the"working" classes," understood" as" fluid" groups" formed" in" the" division" of"work"(Kalb,"1997)."The"tension"between"highly"skilled"workers"and"unskilled"workers"on"the"shop"floor"are"highly"documented"(Pittaway,"2007;"Burawoy,"1985;"Petrovici,"2011a),"as"well"as"the"alliances"that"are" formed" between" the" different"workers" factions" against" the" employer" (Ost," 2002;" Kalb," 1997)."Employability" increasingly" transfers" the" burden" of" being" employed" on" the" working" subject."Consequently," unemployment," precarious" working" conditions," working" routine," and" job"estrangement" is" explained" away" as" an" individual"malaise," the" effect" of" the"not" good"enough" selfFentrepreneurship."As"in"the"case"of"the"puritan"subject,"an"inappropriate"and"uninteresting"job"is"a"mark"of"not"behaving"graceful"enough"on"the"labour"market;" it" is" indicative"of"an"inadequate"work"ethic." But" such" an" interpellation" of" the" subject" creates" a"whole" hierarchy" of" the" selected," of" the"adequate"subject"which"responded"to"the"call"of"the"professionalization."The"subjects"are"invited,"in"this"discourse,"to"evaluate"and"position"themselves"in"relation"to"other"workers,"and"less"to"question"the" employer" through" political" alliances." Moreover," transformation" in" the" composition" of" the"aggregate"demand"at" the"city"and" regional" level"are"being" transformed" in" individual"employability"issues."As"the"number"of"professional"job"expends"at"the"city"level"making"plausible"the"very"concept"of"a"career"field"and"“portfolio"worker”,"the"number"of"the"blue"collar" jobs"are"contracting"making"implausible"the"narrative"of"selfFbetterment"through"the"firms.""

In" this" paper" I" explore" the"way"employability"works" in"producing"new" class" tensions"between" the"various" fractions" of" the"workers," following" the" classification" effects" of" the" selfFdevelopment," selfFbettering" and" selfFeducation" narratives." First" I" discuss" the"methodological" design" I" used." Second" I"follow" the" personal" development" narrative" among" the" various"workers" fractions," the" grounds" on"which"the"employer"can"be"hold"accountable" in"this"narrative,"and"finally," I"show"the"classification"effects" that" emerge" between" the" working" class" factions" in" Cluj." I" conclude" arguing" that" the" case"illuminates"the"way"employability"depoliticizing"work"relations"producing"problematic"classificatory"among"the"employees.""Data)and)method)The"empirical"material"of"the"paper"consists"of"46"semiFstructured"interviews"conducted"in"the"last"two"month"of"2013"and"the"first"two"month"of"2014."The"interviews"were"conducted"with"workers"

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with"different" levels"of"qualifications," from"highly"skills" to"unskilled."The"high"skilled"workers"draw"the" sampling" and" those" organizations" were" preferred" that" had" employees" working" both" in"Information"Technologies"(IT)"and"in"Human"Resources"(HR)."Yet,"the"firm’s"industry"was"not"control."However,"in"order"to"control"variability"and"give"weight"to"possible"structural"factors"that"may"shape"the" narrative" about" work," the" skilled" and" unskilled" workers" were" selected" from" the" same"organizations"as"the"highly"skilled"interviewed"workers."To"control"for"possible"additional"variation,"unemployed" workers," recommended" by" the" employed" semiskilled" and" unskilled" interviewed"workers," were" added" to" the" sample." Some" of" them" worked" in" the" same" firms" (i.e." genitors,"laundress)," some" of" them" were" just" acquaintances" of" highly" skilled" workers" (sanitation" works,"employee"in"a"carwash)."Special"quotas"were"given"the"unskilled"to"Roma,"the"second"minority"group"as"size"in"Cluj"and"a"highly"marginalized"one.""The"official"path,"via" the"managers"or"owner"of" the"company,"was"avoided"and"direct"contact"was"the"main"way"of"approaching" the" subjects."Entering"various" firms" to" talk"with"worker"on"different"level" of" qualification" was" not" an" easy" task." I" worked" around" this" issue" with" the" help" of" the" 6"researched" assistants," beside"me," that" conducted" interviewees." As" residents" of" the" city" they" had"contact" in"various" firms"that"employed"personal" in" IT"and"HR."Also"the" interviews"were"conducted"along"four"month," in"order"to" leave"enough"time"for"find"the"appropriate"firms"and"make"contacts"with"the"rest"of"recommended"employees"from"the"firm.""

)Table)1.)The)distribution)of)interviews)according)to)level)skills,)education,)age,)and)gender)

Type)of)worker)interviewed)

N) F)UnemFployed)

Mean)Age)(Std.dev.))

Mean)years)of)Educ.)(Std.)dev.))

Subsamples)Types)of)jobs)

IT" HR"Highly'skilled'workers'

25" 8" 0"25"(4)"

16"(3)" 15" 10"

junior"developers,"senior"developers,"testers,"team"leaders,"IT"sales,"HR"specialist,"HR"manager."

Skilled'workers' 10" 5" 5"42"(7)"

20"(5)"

"

Warehouseperson,"storekeeper,"supervisor,"electrician,"plumber,"textile"worker."

Roma"NonFRoma"Unskilled'

workers'11" 7" 6"

36"(8)"

22"(2)"

5" 6"

Sanitation"worker,"laundress,"carwash,"genitors."

Total" 46" 20" 11" " " " "

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I"have"chosen"these"two"professions,"the"Information"Technology"and"Human"resources,"in"order"to"be"able" to"capture" the"employability"narratives"and" the" reported"practices"enabled"or"disabled"by"these" narratives" in" highly" dynamic" sectors" of" the" labour" market." The" IT" sector" is" the" largest"professional" field" in" the" city" of" Cluj," with" more" than" 7500" employees" that" is" 7%" of" the" total"workforce."It"is"also"a"market"strongly"driven"by"the"global"fluxes"of"capital,"most"of"the"projects"are"outsourced"contracts"by"multinationals"to"Cluj1."Public"university"courses,"at"all"levels"(BA,"MA,"PHD,"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""1"At"the"2011"census"there"were"6,441"employees"in"the"IT"field"at"all"organizational"levels,"from"managers"to"data"operators,"representing"13.25%"from"the"total"number"of"professionals"in"Cluj"city."Given"the"public"accounting"data"there"were"6,146"employees"in"the"firms"with"the"main"activity"domain"in"computing"related"activities,"Web"related"and"data"processing"(NACE"J62FJ63)."That"is"5,29%"from"the"total"number"of"employees"in"firms"registered"in"the"city"of"Cluj."The"major"boom"in"the"domain"started"in"2008"and"the"increase"up"until"2011"of"the"number"of"employees"in"this"type"of"firms"was"of"69.5%"

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postFdoc)," are" offering" specialization" in" IT" and" hardware" development" and" a"multitude" of" private"companies" are" offering" more" specialized" courses." The" HR" sector" is" the" second" more" dynamic"professional" field" in" Cluj" with" an" increasing" number" of" firms" employing" personal" specialized" in"handling"the"daily"organizational" issues,"through"specialized"individuals," independent"departments,"or" outsourced" to" specialized" firms2." Only" recently" public" universities" in" Cluj" started" to" offer"specialized" tracks" for" HR" at" BA" and"MA" level," yet" this" lack" was" supplemented" by" a"multitude" of"privately" offered" workshops," summer" camps," trainings," short" term" and" long" term" courses," and"internships."

Although"the" IT"and"HR" fields"are"very"different" in" terms"of" income" level,"aggregate" jobs"demand,"number" of" corporate" players," and" labour"market" competition," nonetheless" there" is" a" very" strong"discursive"convergence"of"the"way"employees"are"talking"about"their"jobs."I"have"controlled"for"the"organizational" factor" by" interviewing" IT" and" HR" employees" that" were" working" in" the" same"companies." This" methodological" move" did" not" create" a" similarity" in" terms" of" the" content" of" the"narratives," exactly" because" the" professional" fields" are" somehow" different." Yet," the" recurrent"narrative" was" that" of" a" quest." The" successive" positions" were" ordered" and" transformed" by" the"subjects"themselves"in"a"search"for"a"professional"field,"a"expertize"area"that"offers"the"prospect"of"a"career."Those"who"entered"the"labour"market"at"the"beginning"of"the"2000s"and"now"profess"in"IT"or"HR," most" of" the" time," did" not" have" a" specific" college" profile" or" even" a" college" degree." This" has"changed"dramatically" in"the"second"half"of"the"2000s,"specialized"college"profiles"were"increasingly"more" important"alongside" specialized" internships," trainings"and"workshops" (Simionca"and"Al"Ariss,"2011)."But"even"now"there"is"no"oneFtoFone"correspondence"between"education"and"the"profile"of"the"job,"in"both"fields.""

This" type" of" biographical" consistency" is," partially," an" artefact" produced" by" the" interview" itself"through" the" procedure" of" questioning" the" subject" and" placing" her" on" a" trajectory" of" successive"positions" (Truc," 2011)." However," this" biographical" illusion" is" not" just" an" emergent" effect" of" the"interactional"situation"between"the"interviewer"and"the"interviewee."It"is,"in"fact,"a"rehearsal"and"a"reFelaboration" of" a" well" know" script" produced" collaboratively" in" countless" other" interactions:" job"interviews,"CV"writing,"trainings,"coaching,"client"meetings,"working"dinners,"firm"parties,"drinks"with"the" colleagues," etc.." Therefore," this" particular" biographical" makeup" is" a" complex" narrative" also"elaborated"and"put"together"in"multiple"interactions"and"interactional"arenas.""

The"personal"development"narratives"are"not" so"consistent"when" it" comes" to"skilled"and"unskilled"workers." The" fact" that" the" instances" for" selfFretiling" are"not" so"dense" as" in" the" case"of" the"highly"skilled"workers"becomes"obvious"when"the"interviewees"are"prompted"to"talk"about"themselves"in"terms" of" qualifications." This" does" not" mean" that" there" are" not" recurrent" themes" and" ways" of"questioning"employment"practices"on"the"labour"market."Nonetheless,"the"heroic"discourses"about"becoming" a" professional" with" certain" specific" skills" are" not" there." The" whole" burden" of" selfFactualization"is"put"on"the"issue"of"the"dignity"of"being"an"industrious"person,"in"spite"of"the"constant"attacks"on"one’s"dignity"through"deskilling."But"exactly"these"differences"make"more"visible"the"firms"pressures" on" the" variously" skilled" workers" and" the" way" they" respond" to" the" insecurities" of" the"contracts"that"shifts"flexibility"pressures"on"the"employee.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""2"At"the"2011"census"there"were"1282"employees"in"the"HR"field"at"all"organizational"levels,"representing"2.64%"from"the"total"number"of"professionals"in"Cluj"city."Given"the"public"accounting"data"there"were"509"employees"in"the"firms"with"the"main"activity"domain"employment"activities"(NACE"N78,"P85)."

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"Getting)skilled,)denied)the)skills)and)unskilled)enough"An" unintended" effect" of" planned" economies" was" that" the" whole" system" became" ultimately"dependent"on"the"collaboration"and"flexibility"of"direct"producers"(Pittaway,"2007;"Petrovici,"2011a)."As"a" reaction" to" the"dependence"on" the"willingness"of"workers" to" informally"mobilize" for" fast"and"concentrated" production" stints," the" socialist" management" tried" to" hold" a" grip" on" the" production"processes" by" inventing" continuous" new" rules" and" hierarchies" (Pasti," 1997)." The" decisionFmaking"process" was" very" long," precisely" because" there" was" a" whole" layer" of" highly" skilled" workers"simultaneously"in"charge"and"responsibilities"were"unclear."In"the"first"postFsocialist"decade"much"of"the" criticism" voiced" by" the" socialist" highly" skilled" workers" went" into" producing" a" counterForganizational" discourse" against" the" socialist" factory’s" impossibility" of" real" control," lack" of" clerical"creativity"and"rigidity.""In"Cluj,"most"of"the"firms"from"in"the"second"part"of"the"1990s"were"run"by"or"employed"these"young"highly" skilled" workers" (Petrovici" and" Simionca," 2011)." The" language" of" flexibility" and" creativity"became"a"particularly"useful"tool"to"refashion"the"new"organizational"milieu"(Simionca,"2012a;"Zincă,"2011)."Most" of" the" business" literature" and" business" contacts" also" offered" the" chance" to" reframe"these"types"of"genuine"criticisms"in"neoliberal"parlance."Since"the"new"local"business"scene"was"just"emerging," the"socialist"highly"skilled"workers"had"the"chance"to"put"critical"concepts" to"test,"while"they"were"reinventing"themselves"and"the"business"milieu."By"the"second"postsocialist"decade"the"trope" of" creativity," venture," selfFdevelopment" and" pleasure" became" the" lens" through" which" the"economy"and"the"world"were"read"by"this"social"group."However,"by"now"a"new"generation"of"highly"skilled"workers"was" entering" the" labour"market," formed" in" the" late" 1990s" and" then" in" 2000s." For"these"subjects"the"hegemonic"discourse"was"that"of"a"naturalized"flexible"subject"(Zincă,"2011)."And"by" extension," an" antiFcommunist" discourse" framed" their" criticism" of" the" planned," largeFscale"industrial" Taylorism" (Simionca," 2012b)." ”Capitalism”" is" often" read," with" the" active" help" of" public"intellectuals,"as"a"politicalFethical"project"that"aims"not"only"to"politically"design"markets,"but"also"at"to"enact"a"moral"transformation:"to"get"rid"of"the"old"communist"habits"and"practices."Capitalism"is"called"to"enact"efficiency,"flexibility,"creativity"and"competitiveness"against"the"old"system’s"residues"(Buden,"2010).""

The)highly)skilled)workers’"narratives,"employed"in"IT"and"HR,"are"echoing"these"types"of"discourses,"where"creativity,"selfFdevelopment"and"selfFbetterment"are"at"the"centre"of"what" it"means"to"be"a"good"employee," and"more" importantly" an" accomplished"modern" subject." The"major" theme" in" the"interviews"with"these"highly"skilled"workers"is"that"of"the"process"of"discovering"and"constituting"a"personal" professional" field" from" bits" and" pieces" assembled" on" the" go," inFbetween" the" various"positions" they" had" held." These" are" the" professional" “quest" narratives”," as" mention" in" the"methodological" section," and" they" are" composed" along" a" major" fault" line." One" the" one" hand" the"subjects" are" talking" about" their" professionalization" in" terms" of" pleasure" of" work," personal"discoveries,"and"learning"milieus."On"the"other"hand"they"are"talking"about"hindrance,"interruptions"and"burdens"put"on"personal"development,"experience"acquisition"and"the"sense"of"dignity" that" is"needed" to" an" enabling" environment" conducive" to" selfFbetterment." The" firms" themselves" are"evaluated"and"classified"according"to"their"capacity"to"facilitate"or"debilitate"one’s"development.""

In"the"narratives"of"the"highly"skilled"workers,"even)if"the"organization"itself"is"only"a"stop"along"the"path" for" searching" a" professional" trajectory," a" career," the" organization" itself" is" a" main" anchor" in"

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reality."Reality"itself"is"mediated"by"the"very"existence"of"the"firm"as"an"embodiment"of"the"market,"a"nodal" point" that" links" in" a" coherent" way" the"multitude" of" suppliers," rivalling" firms," partners" and"clients."Without" the" firms," as" such," and"without" the" employing" firm," in" particular," the" knowledge"itself"would"be" just" theoretical," i.e."nonFreal"enough."For" these"subjects" the"practical"knowledge" is"assembled" in" a" professional" field" as" practical" knowledge" through" the" looking" glass" of" a" firm." As"argued"by"one"of"the" interviewee,"most"of"the"major" IT"corporate"players" in"Cluj"have"a"branch"of"”business" intelligences”,"which" offer" database" solutions" and"maintenance" services" for" the" various"information" produced" by" a" firm," needed" for" reporting" and" managerial" decision" making." Only" by"being" an" insider" of" a" specific" business" field" one" can" discover" the" pleasure" of" creativity" needed" in"puzzle"solving"that"has"consequences"for"the"survival"of"various"firms.)

Sometimes," it" becomes" stressful." And" you" also" bump" into" stupid" customers."Maybe" a"stupid" boss." And" then" you" change" the" firm" again." Until" you" find" eventually..." i" don’t"know..."back"then"I"wasn’t"on"a," I"hadn’t"found"a"niche"that" I"actually"wanted"to"be" in."Only"then"I"had"started"to"form"the"concept"of"what"I"wanted"to"become,"that"I"wanted"to"become"in"the"future"a"very"good"specialist"in"something,"a"specific"domain,"and"then,"we’ll"see"about"a"managerial"position"and"this"kind"of"things."Business"intelligence"is"the"domain"I"want"to"be"in,"it"has"branches,"subFbranches,"in"IT"as"well."But"it’s"a"domain,"it’s"a" very" cool"and" interesting" thing" for"me," it’s" a" challenge."Because"when"you"draw" the"line," it’s" about" this." There" comes" a" time" when" you" reach" a" level" where" you" need"challenges"in"order"to"feel"motivated,"you"know,"to"feel"like"coming"to"work"(M,"25,"IT,"tertiary"education)."

"The" highly" skilled" workers" recurrently" make" a" distinction," that" superposes" partially" on" the" two"expertize" fields," IT"and"HR,"but"not"necessarily."The"reality"of"a"professional" field"can"be" instituted"primarily" between" the" firms" or" alongside" the" firms." In' between' the' firms" professionalization"narrative,"as" in"the"case"of"the"Business" Intelligence"IT"subfield"above,"the"reality"of"a"professional"field" is" produced" by" searching" the" pleasure" of" doing" something" by"wandering" through" successive"organizations"until"one"finds"an"area"of"expertise,"vast"enough"to"be"solicited"by"a"multitude"of"firms,"yet" specific" enough" to" be" sufficiently" rare" on" the" labour" market." In' the' alongside' the' firms"professionalization" narrative," as" in" the" case" of"most" of" the" interviewees"working" in"HR," the" firms"themselves" do" not" have" enough" expertize" to" sustain" and" legitimize" an" expertize" field." Therefore,"partially" superpose"networks"of" knowledge"production"are" instituting" the" (sub)field"of" knowledge,"alongside" the" firms." The" IT" workers" are" sometimes" referring" to" the" need" to" collaborate" with"academic"research"teams,"training"organizations"that"provide"certifications"and"support."While"these"types"of"parallel"networks"are"acknowledge,"they"do"not"have"the"weight"as"in"the"case"of"HR."The"HR"discipline" is" sustained"by"a"whole" field"of"periodical"expert"meetings," conferences,"workshops,"and"jobFshops." In"addition,"there"are"state" institutions"that"offer"qualifications"(Work"Inspectorate,"Workforce"County"Agency),"standards"and"supervise"the"applications"of"the"laws"regulating"the"do’s"and" don’ts" of" personnel" handling." There" are" the" academic" networks" that" produce" knowledge"through" research" grants," in" need" for" “practitioners”" team"members." The" corporate" responsibility"programs"and"volunteering"projects"are"also"offering"for"the"HR"practitioner"spaces"to"exercise"new"ways" of" holding" together" a" team" through" intrinsic" motivational" strategies" and" with" little" or" no"resources."All"these"are"expending"and"deepening"the"expertise"of"a"(sub)field"and"sustain"its"reality"alongside"the"employing"firms."

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"The" term" ”experience”" codes" exactly" the" ability" to" navigate" and" appropriate" expertise" in" the"networks"between"the"firms"or"the"networks"developed"along"the"firms."The"experience"is"the"basic"unit" of" meaning" that" is" infused" by" and" infuses" the" narrative" of" the" professionalization." Without"experience"one"cannot"find"its"professional"way,"cannot"develop"and"find"a"career,"and"no"future"job"can"be"secured"if"one"lacks"experience."Experience"is"produced"in"the"firm"but,"finally,"it"is"consider"experience"only" relationally"by" the" fact" that" it" can"be" traded" for"another"position" in"other" firm"or"advancement"on"the"internal"labour"market"of"the"current"firm."""The"firm,"as"interviewees"suggest,"can"become"a"nodal"point"of"producing"experience"in"three"ways."First," if" there" is" personal" commitment" for" acquiring" experience," in" spite" of" any" organizational"drawbacks."As"an"IT"employee"jokily"puts"it,"when"talking"of"scarcity"of"training"programs,"the"firms"still"offers"someone"the"possibility"to"become"a"”google"engineer”."That" is,"you"are"prompted"with"new"issues"that"can"be"solve"only"through"individual"study,"using"online"search"engines,"even"if"those"issues"are"not"in"the"job"description."Second,"the"professional"team"or"the"department"composed"of"your" professional" peers" are" the" one" with" whom" you" are" searching" for" unexpected" solutions," for"seemingly" impossible"situations,"which"appear" in"the"firms"or" in"relation"with"the"clients."They"are"the"audience"for"your"personal"projects;"the"ones"for"whom"you"find"interesting"new"cases;"they"are"those"with"whom"one" teams"up" for"developing" side"projects."Third," the"mixed"professional" teams"and" interFdepartmental" networks" formed" in" the" firm" are" sources" for" new" ideas," personal"development"and"appreciation."As"a"HR"specialist"summarizes"neatly"this"point:""

"Within" the" firm," there" are" people" who" are" young" and" oriented" towards" personal"development" and" multilateral" development." They" read" everything," they" don’t" limit"themselves"to"the"technical"profile,"they"like"arts,"culture,"they"read"about"management"and"then" they" understand" better." They" have" that" opening" that" allows"me" to" step" in." It’s" their"background,"their"personal"profile"and"their"age"(F,"25,"generalist"HR,"firma"IT)."

"Skilled)workers." For" the" college" educated" there" is" evidence" in" the" literature" that" can" certify" the"global" character" of" the" personal" development" narrative" (Valenzuela," 2013;" Fejes," 2010)." Similarly,"these" narratives" are" increasingly" documented" also" among" the" manual" workers." A" new" wave" of"studies"have"shown"that"various"programs"of"enhancing"the"employability"of"long"term"unemployed"(Garsten" and" Jacobsson," 2013)," socially" marginalized" (Simionca," 2013)," or" people" with" disabilities"(Elraz,"2013),"measure"success"in"terms"of"the"capacity"of"the"trainee"to"take"up"the"jargon"of"selfFbetterment." A"major" part" of" the" structural" funds" available" at" EU" level" are" targeting" explicitly" the"enhancement"of"human"capital"through"instruments"of"raising"the"quality"of"human"resources"across"national" states." Through" these" programs" (i.e." European' Social' Fund,' Operational'Programme'for'Human'Resources'Development,'European'Globalisation'Adjustment'Fund,'etc.)"a"new"generation"of"projects"for"training"the" labour"force"have"emerged"also" in"Romania,"devised"explicitly"to"promote"selfFenterprising" selves," selfFdevelopment" and" selfFbetterment" of" the" employees" (Pavel," 2011;"Simionca,"2013)."The"firms"themselves"are"accessing"directly"these"programs"and"are"providing"for"their"employees"a"variety"of"media"and"trainings"that"put"forward"narratives"about"the"enterprising"worker" (Zincă," 2011)." Therefore," is" not" surprising" that" the" themes" of" the" importance" of" formalFeducation,"selfFeducation"and"personal"development"were"also"key"issues"raised"by"the"interviewees"witch"held"a"manual"jobs"position"or"were"in"search"for"manual"jobs."As"was"the"case"with"the"highly"

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skilled"workers,"the"manual"workers"are"also"invited"to"uses"these"narratives"through"the"practices"of"CV" writing," selfFpresentation" during" the" job" interviews," or" for" organizational" claims" making."However," the" skilled" and" unskilled"manual" workers" are" strongly" ambivalent" when" relating" to" the"theme"of"employability."

On" the" one" hand," education" is" strongly" prised" by" the" manual" workers" and" the" highly" skilled"colleagues"are"seen"as"part"of"an"enabling"milieu."The"education,"culture"and"mind"openness"of"the"coFworkers" are"prized" as" being" an" important" resources" that" facilities" knowledge" acquisition" and" a"certain" sense" of" joyful"work" environment." The" short" break" talks" or" the" afterhours" going" outs" are"reported"by"the"manual"workers"as"a"foremost"sources"of"selfFimprovement."On"the"other"hand,"the"skilled" workers" are" bitterly" conscious" that" the" firms" are" providing" training" to" those" who" are"performing"highly"skilled"nonFmanual"jobs"or"for"the"manual"job"supervisors."The"skilled"workers"are"constantly"left"out"of"any"formal"scheme"of"selfFimprovement."Higher"education"can"open"doors"to"new"highly"skill" jobs."High"qualifications"in"practical"knowledge"for"manual"employees"may"actually"be" detrimental" to" keeping" a" job," since" the" employer’s" way" to" reduce" the" production" cots" is" to"undermine"wage"negotiation"on"the"bases"of"qualifications."

The" skilled"workers" are" reporting" four"ways" in"which" their" organizational" claimsFmaking" based"on"qualifications"are"challenged"by"the"employer."First,"is"by"replacing"experienced"workers"with"cheap"inexperience"workers,"generally"younger"workers,"in"search"for"a"startFup"position."The"highly"skilled"workers"are"reporting"similar"strategies"on"behalf"of"the"employer."However,"there"are"no"informal"agreements" that" the" job" is" enhancing," even" slightly," the" employability" of" the" skilled" worker,"furthering"her" future" job" security."On" the"contrary," the" firms"are"actively"engaged" in"undermining"such"a"fantasy,"through"arbitrarily"dismissals,"manual"high"wagers"trimming"from"the"personnel,"and"understaffing"with"constant"threatening"with"the"reserve"army."The"second"strategy"is"to"prefer"the"cheap"employees"in"search"for"extraFmoney," i.e."retirees"with"a"pension"or"commuters"that"have"a"rural"household"and"supplement"their"resources"through"subsistence"agriculture."The"skilled"workers"are" either" replaced" or" are" threatened" to" be" replaced" by" such" cheap" workforce." In" the" below"quotation"a"skilled"worker,"that"was"holding"a"supervising"position"in"a"highFtech"logistic"facility"of"a"major" local" company" at" the" time" of" the" interview," explained" how" he"was" fired" from" his" previous"manufacturing"job"and"replaced"by"younger"unskilled"workers"and"retirees.""

The"employ"you,"they"qualify"you."Maybe"this"explain,"you"are"sending"your"CV"and"they"see"that"you"are"in"your"40s,"and"they"employ"someone"in"their"20s."“This"one"is"an"old"worker,"for" sure"he'll"have"pretensions" for"higher" salary."A" junior"does"not" respond"back”." Instead"taking"a"good"craftsmen,"who"is"retiring"in"4F5"years,"employers"prefer"younger"and"cheaper"employees." They" don’t" know" their" job," and" they" qualify" them" for" 2F3" years." They" are" the"losers."The"boss"where" I"worked," there"were"making"sportswear,"all" sorts," from"wood"and"metal" ..."he"had"very"good"craftsmen"who"knew"all" the"products."He"closed"the"factory"[in"Cluj],"dismissed"everyone"and"opened"a"factory"in"Bucharest."He"worked"with"retirees,"which"had" nothing" to" do" with" carpentry" and" locksmith." And" he" took" also" some" youngsters." He"preferred" to" qualify" them," even" if" his" products" already" had" a" standard," especially" those"exported"(B,"40"to"12,"warehouseman)."

"A" third" strategy" is" through" technological" improvements." The" skilled" manual" operator" is" made"redundant" by" technological" upgrades" and" sometimes" replaced" by" unskilled" operators." Therefore,"

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there" is" always" the" spectre" of" being" unemployed," regardless" of" one’s" skilled." In" the" case" of" the"manual"workers,"qualification"does"not"add"up"in"a"transferable"skill"that"can"be"relocated"to"another"job," as" in" the" case" of" the" highly" skilled" workers." The" pride" of" a" job" well" done" is" there." Also" the"pleasure"of" the"work" is" there." “So," I" like"what" I" do."Often," I" just" stay" and"help"my" colleague." You"know,"I"am"relaxing"when"I"work."Rather"than"sit"in"front"of"computer"or"whatever"else,"I"better"stay"there"a"little"longer."I"love"working"with"paper""(B,"50,"paper"mill"worker,"secondary"education)."Yet,"the" skills" one" learn" in" operating" a" particular"machine," in" a" specific" industry," is"most" of" the" times"limited"to"that"specific"employer"and"only"sometimes"may"be"transferable"to"other"few"production"facilities,"in"the"same"branch."Along"the"twentieth"century"the"mechanical"automation"economically"devaluated"the"skillsets"and"practical"knowledge"of"the"trained"workers,"parallel"with"the"valuation"of" the"new" skills" of"white" collar"workers" and"engineers" (Braverman," 1974;"Burawoy," 1985;"Vallor,"2014)." The" narratives" offered" by" the" interviewees" are" hardly" surprising" given" this" greater" trend."However,"maybe"what"is"different"is"the"way"work"is"embedded"in"the"discourse"of"selfFbetterment."The"promise"of"employability" is"packed" for" the" skilled"workers"as"a"promise" for"a" career"between"firms"for"the"few"selected:"for"the"strongly"disciplined,"accepting"lower"wages,"and"skilled"enough"to"tailor"customized"products."The"same"skilled"worker"as"above,"working" in"a"paper"mill,"points" that"the" technological" upgrading" his" firm" went" meant" successive" waves" of" dismisses" with" their"disciplining"effects."He"retained"his"job"by"switching"to"providing"handmade"customized"services."

""And" they"brought"new" tools."What"we"were"doing"manually"now" is"done"with"automatic"machines..." the" machine" took" most" of" our" work." We" [the" employees]" do" now" only"personalized" envelopes," for" small" orders." If" there" are" orders," there" is"work;" if" there" is" no"demand," there" is" no"work." Slowly" they" started" laying" off." There"were" three"waves," or" so."People"were"asking"“why"me,"why"not"the"other?"Why"exactly"me?”"Yeah…"so"there"is"this"norm,"it"is"specified"in"the"contract"that"if"you"do"not"accomplish"the"norm...."You"are"out"if"you"are"on" red...." “Who" should" I" kick"out?”"Well," they" kicked"out" those"who"were"on" red"repeatedly." You" can’t" lay" off" the" hard"working" ones." And" ..." after" all," you" are" paid" as" you"work."(B,"50,"paper"mill"worker,"secondary"education)"""

The"forth"way"to"undermine"claimsFmaking"based"on"qualifications,"is"by"inviting"the"labour"force"to"transform"selfFdiscipline"in"a"skill,"a"move"that"is"sometime"is"done"by"genderising"discipline."Most"of"the" skilled" interviewed" women" report" that" they" find" more" easily" jobs" than" man." That" is" not"surprising,"given"that"some"key"routine"manual"labour"markets"are"feminized"in"Cluj"(manufacturing"in"multinationals,"hospitality,"restaurants"and"coffee"shops,"retailing,"the"health"system,"education)."Probably," an" illustration" of" this" point," is" an" interview"with" a" family" where" both" spouses," in" their"forties,"where"employed"in"the"same"firm."He"was"made"redundant,"while"she"kept"her"job."During"the"interview"she"talked"with"pride"about"her"ease"to"work"with"anybody,"her"capacity"to"be"part"of"any" collective," and" the" fact" that" she"did" not" lost" any" job"up"until" then."A"major" source"of" dignity"comes"from"her"diligence"and"willingness"to"work"in"any"condition."She"noticed"that"while"for"her"is"very" easy" to" find" new" jobs," for" her" husband" it" is" a" toil" finding"work." She" attributed" her" ability" in"keeping" jobs" exactly" to" her" industriousness." Her" husband" was" unemployed" at" the" time" of" the"interview"and"he"was"attributing"his"inability"to"find"jobs,"to"the"fact"that"cheap"inexperienced"men"were"preferred"by"employers."He"was"arguing"that"men"at"his"age"are"mostly"seen"by"the"employers"as"undesirable"mischiefs,"readily"to"always"negotiate"and"question"the"working"conditions."This"type"of" reading" of" the" labour" market" by" the" subjects" themselves" can" be" easily" seen" as" a" way" to"

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problematize," through" the" lens"of" gender" roles," that" discipline" is" preferred" to" skills" in" the"manual"sectors." Industriousness" and" willing" to" put" up" with" any" conditions" to" keep" a" job" are" actually"recurrent"themes"that"appear"in"the"interviews"with"manual"workers,"regardless"of"their"gender."

Therefore,"the"ambivalence"of"the"skilled"workers"with"regard"the"theme"of"professionalization"and"acquiring"abilities"is"linked"with"the"particular"way"in"which"are"embedded"in"the"fields"of"firms,"that"are"offering"qualified"manual" jobs." The"promise"of"employability"means"becoming"more"willing" to"accept"contexts"of"discipline,"overtime,"small"wages,"and"no"transferable"skillsets."As"other"authors"have" observed," contemporary" deskilling" is" not" anymore" a" pressure" on" the"work" content" through"routinization" by"means" of" automation," in" the" classical" sense" of" (Braverman," 1974)." But," first," it" is"much" more" linked" to" the" fact" that" jobs" lost" through" the" introduction" of" information" and"communication" technologies" are" putting" pressure" on" the" not" yet" dismissed" employees" to" comply"(Baccini" and" Cioni," 2010)." Second," acquiring" skills" are" decreasingly" imagined" by" the" workers"themselves" as" resource" for" long" time" employment" in" a" firm" or" a" resource" that" enhances"employability" between" firms" (Vallor," 2014)," given" the" potential" threat" of" relocating" productionFrelated" occupations." The" way" this" is" narrativized" by" the" Cluj" skilled" interviewees" is" through" the"theme"of"the"“willing"employee”."Industriousness"and"selfFdiscipline"became"skills.""

Unskilled) workers." The" tension" between" industriousness" and" willingness" to" learn" new" practical"knowledge" is" even"bolder" in" the" case"of" unskilled"workers." The" interviewing" context"was" strongly"structured"by"constant"small"reminders"the"interviewees"made,"that"the"interviewer"is"an"educated"person."The" inherent"perceived" inequalities"were" constantly" redrawn"by" the" interviewees" through"emphasising"diligence"and"the"long"string"of"jobs"and"position"where"such"qualities"were"proved.""I" never" gave" my" work" away";" "Where" you" put" me," there" I" stood" [and" worked]";" "I’ve" done"everything"."These" type"of"narratives"were"present"even" in" the"case"of" two"separate" interviewees"that"were"retiling"their"involvement"in"small"crook"jobs."Their"shrewdness"was"supplemented"by"the"hard"work"they"put"up"to"earn"their"money"on"the"grey"markets."In"fact,"for"all"the"unskilled"workers"interviewed" dignity" claims" were" strongly" embedded" in" the" narrative" of" the" hard" working" person"willing" to" do" things" right." But" that" dignity" is" continuously" challenged" by" the" lack" of" appropriate"education."As"a"maid"put"it""I"worked"as"a"maid,"as"a"tailor,"but"you"need"even"there"minimum"10"years"of"school""(F,"38,"unemployed,"primary"education)."Those"with"less"than"eight"year"of"formal"schooling"are"complaining"that"are"excluded"from"formal"market"and"they"rarely"have"formal"labour"contracts."""As" all" interviewees" report" the" formal" market" for" unskilled" is" actually" restricted" by" the" need" for"qualifications." Just" to" take" an" example," to" be" employed" as" a" sanitation" worker" it" takes" a" lot" of"resources" and" effort," minimum" eight" years" of" schooling," a" health" apprise" given" by" the" general"practitioner," and" a" formal" paper" that" shows" that" you" have" a" regular" a" permanent" residence."Additional"qualifications"and"driving"licence"is"needed"for"any"type"of"qualified"labour.""

"I"worked"as"a"car"washer,"compacting"specialist,"seller."A"lot."Yes"it"is"very"hard,"especially"now"if"you"don’t"have"[enough"education]."For"example,"before"you"could"be"employed"in"a"carwash"without"8"years"of"schooling,"without"a"driving"license,"without"a"certificate"..."now"you" need" a" driving" license," certificate" that" you" can"work" in" a" carwash." You" need" a" lot" of"papers." As" compacting" specialist" at" the" sanitation" company" you" have" to" have" a" medical"paper,"you"must"be"certified,"driving"license"..."you"need"experience,"qualification"and"if"you"

12""

didn’t"have"the"opportunity"to"finished"your"school"or"do"some"qualifications"you"cannot"be"employed."They"are"no"longer"looking"for"merchandise"handlers"or"similar"jobs..."they"search"qualified"handler,"with"driver"license."Better"work"illegally"than"with"all"these"papers.""(Male,"21"years"old,"8"years)""

Most"of"the"standards"are"imposed"by"the"state"itself,"as"minimum"formal"requirements"for"various"jobs."However,"the"national"threshold"for"various" jobs" is"around"8"years"of" formal"schooling,"while"the"interviewees"from"Cluj"enter"into"a"race"to"acquire"minimum"then"years"of"schooling,"to"enhance"their"employability."An"interviewee"with"eight"classes"reports"that"is"struggling"with"the"jail"warden,"where"he"was"imprisoned"for"two"years,"to"send"him"the"certificate"that"proves"that"he"followed"two"additional"years"of" schooling"during" incarceration."The"2"additional"years"of" schooling,"may" luckily"add"to"the"already"8"classes."The"10"years"of"schooling"are"more"important"than"the"stigma"of"having"been"in"jail."""When" prompted" by" the" interviewer," the" explanation" given" for" the" centrality" of" education," the"unskilled"workers"argued"that"an"uneducated"person"may"represent"for"the"employer"a"burden." In"fact,"any"additional"year"of"schooling"may"signal"that"the"employee"can"take"care"of"herself"and"may"learn"faster"any"practical"knowledge."One"interviewee"makes"even"the"difference"between"younger"employers"who"have"the"patients"to"explain"and"supervise"skills"acquisition"and"the"older"employers"who"expect"workers"to"learn"on"their"own"all"needed"practical"abilities."The"explanation"for"such"a"difference"is"placed"on"the"fact"that"the"young"employers"may"have"had"the"experience"of"roaming"between"firms"and"jobs"and"the"difficulty"to"adapt"to"a"new"environment,"while"the"older"employers"are"used"to"the"Fordist"socialist"arrangements"of"a"stable"milieu.""To"sum"up,"getting"skilled,"denied"the"skills"or"being"unskilled"enough"are"the"games"on"which"the"social" division" of" work" is" predicated" in" Cluj." The" promise" of" new" flexible" contract" between" the"employee" and" employer" is" that" of" employability" through" personal" development." This" promise" is"tested" in"many"ways"by" the"actors,"but" the"most" important" is" that"of"upward"mobility" in"a"career"field."If"this"promise"can"be"verified"partially"by"those"with"tertiary"education,"especially"by"those"in"the"very"dynamic" IT"and"HR"fields," this" type"of"promise" is"more"complicated"to"actualize" for" those"with" secondary" and" primary" education." The" flexible" contract" between" the" employee" and" the"employer"based"on"an"educated"enough"individual,"capable"of"seeing"the"job"as"a"bead"in"a"chain"of"positions,"puts"the"personnel"on"a"mission"to"search"for"the"beauty"of"experience."The" industrious"subject"is"invited"to"take"care"of"herself"in"the"employment"filed"produced"by"the"firms."This"type"of"contract"is"strongly"apolitical"and"transfers"the"burden"of"keeping"a"job"on"the"employee"willingness"to"work."""The)selfFindulgent)worker"While"firms"are"evaluated"and"held"accountable"for"providing"or"not"an"adequate"environment"for"personal"development,"the" interviewees"proposed"also"complex"narratives"about"what"may"hinder"such"personal"development."Most"of"the"barriers"pertain"to"limited"control"over"the"organizational"environment:"the"hieratical"character"of"decision"making,"the"lack"of"information"sharing"about"the"managerial"strategies,"the"incomprehensive"character"of"rulemaking,"little"control"over"the"terms"of"the" contracts" signed" with" the" clients," the" little" control" over" the" personal" retention" policies," the"burden"to"train"the"new"colleagues"without"any"reduction"of"number"of"the"appointed"tasks,"overF

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burdening" with" responsibilities" if" competences" are" shown." However," all" this" critiques" are" rarely"packaged"as" such."Most"of" the" time" these" critiques"are" surfacing" in"narratives"about" the"personal"character" of" the" colleagues" and" supervisors" or" about" how"well" are" organized" or" not" the" firms" by"various"managers"and"owners.)This"is"hardly"surprising"given"that"employees"claim"for"organizational"controls" are" transformed" into" individual" invitation" to" enhance" employability" and" selfFentrepreneurship." Organizational" and" job" security" claims" are" transformed" into" issue" pertaining" to"subject’s"worth."Succeeding"or"failing"becomes"a"matter"of"proving"the"workers"grace"on"the"labour"market." Organizational" claims" are" misshapen" in" dignity" claims." They" depoliticize" the" employee"relation"with"the"firm"by"politicizing"the"relation"of"subject"with"herFself"and,"as"argued"bellow,"with"the"other"workers,"occupying"various"positions"in"the"social"division"of"work.""For"the"highly"skilled"the"inability"to"be"getting"or"keeping"a"job"become"a"personal"failure,"and"only"rarely" is" articulated" as" a" direct" critique" of" the" firms" and" the" labour"market." Three" types" of" antiFheroes"emerge:"the"lazy,"the"unwise"skill"entrepreneur,"the"communist."The"first"antiFhero,"the"lazy,"has" difficulties" finding" and" keeping" a" job" because" is" unwilling" to" work" and" acquire" relevant"experience."It"is"the"person"who"did"not"transformed"her"pleasures"of"doing"something"into"a"job."”I"have" faculty" colleagues"who"are" still" not"working." There"are" cases." Some"are" too" lazy”" (M,"25," IT,"tertiary" education)." There" are" industries" in" Cluj" in" continuous" personnel" crisis." Everyone" can" be"integrated"on" the" labour"market" if"enough"effort" to" learn" is"put"up," if" selfFbetterment" is" the"main"drive"of"that"person.""The" second" antiFhero" is" the" person"who"did" not" invest"wise" enough" to" acquire" the" right" skillsets."“Take"Delia"example."Up"until"she"did"not"use"her"friends"and"her"former"connections"in"other"firms"she"did"not" find"a" job," regardless"where"she" interviewed,"her"background"being"only" logistics”" (M,"30,"Sell"support"engineer,"tertiary"education)."Delia"had"a"lot"of"experience"in"managing"the"logistic"of" a" firm." Yet," as" her" former" colleague" argues," she" had" difficulties" finding" the" next" job" since" she"invested"in"a"field"of"knowledge"that"restricted"her"career"field"to"few"employers."Only"by"mobilizing"her"networks"she"eventually"found"a"position"based"on"her"expertize."In"order"for"successive"jobs"to"add"up"in"building"up"experience"an"open"eye"is"needed"to"the"bigger"field"of"required"expertize."")The"third"antiFhero"is"the"communist"in"disguise."The"communist"is"the"unwilling"worker"to"learn"and"to"adapt," is"the"beholder"of"old"communist"mentalities"(see"also"Petrovici,"2010;"Simionca,"2012b)."No" one" is" exempted" from" this" type" of" disease," of" not" being" flexible" enough." The" managers"themselves,"the"supposedly"new"capitalist"figure,"cannot"be"really"exempted"of"this"suspicion,"even"those"working"in"the"multinationals:"“I"can"say"that"also"in"the"multinationals"is"the"same"deal"as"in"the"small"firms."Yes…"the"managers"have"the"same"style"of"doing"stuff:"the"communist"way”"(M,"30,"IT," tertiary"education)."Communist"mentalities"were"exist"may"be"warned"out" through"appropriate"education,"inflicted"by"direct"business"contacts"and"effort"to"adapt"to"the"labour"market."Those"who"do"not"supposedly"conform"to"the"requirement"of"employability"are"consistently"relegated"to"the"old"ways"of"doing."""

I"have"not"lived"in"the"communist"era,"but"all"my"teachers"had"lived"in"the"communist"period,"our"parents"lived"in"the"communist"era,"all"those"in"charge"now,"they"lived"in"the"communist"period." We" live," in" a" certain" way," in" communism" now!" During" the" transition" from"communism"to"capitalism,"well,"democracy,"whatever"you"want"to"call"it,"many"people"have"

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snapped."What"I"mean"is"that"in"capitalism"you"have"to"change"quickly"your"whole"mentality."You" have" to" change" often" and" very" quickly" your" job," your" location" very" quickly." In"communism"your"job"was"guaranteed,"for"life;"you"had"an"apartment,"you"had"a"house."Your"life"was"guaranteed."I"am"‘not"saying"that"communism"is"a"good"thing,"I"don’t"say"Marxism"is"a" good" thing," but" I" don’t" know" how" you" could" reach" a" better" society" without" changing"people's"minds""(Male,"26,"IT,"secondary"education)""

The"antiFcommunist"discourse"is"intimately"linked"with"the"employability"narrative."As"visible"in"the"above"quotation," communism" is"equated"with" the"Fordist" socialist" factory,"which"offered"a" career"and" associated" resources" (wages," an" apartment," a" car)" in" reward" for" one’s" loyalty." Capitalism" is"equated" with" flat" and" flexible" organization." The" communist" worker" becomes" the" epitome" of" the"employee"in"search"for"the"stable"contract,"while"the"capitalist"worker"stands"for"the"flexible"subject."The" legitimate" criticism" against" the" Fordist" work" arrangements" are" overwritten" by" the" facile"opposition"between"communism"and"capitalism."Nonetheless,"the"above"quotation"is"not"exempted"of"ambiguities."The"interviewee"feels"the"need"to"defend"himself"of"some"sort"of"accusation"of"being"a"defender"of"“communism”"and"“Marxism”"since"the"undertones"of"his"opposition"makes"capitalism"a"system"without"any"comfort"and"stability."However,"exactly"such"interFdiscursive"hybridization"and"problematic"polarities"even"for"the"subject"themselves"hinders"the"articulation"of"a"critical"discourse"at" an" organizational" level" against" the" flexible" arrangements," and" deflects" it" towards" an"impersonation"of"an"illegitimate"figure,"the"“communist"worker”."""More" generally," the" contemporary"manual"worker" comes" to" embody" sui' generis" the" allegedly" old"system"rests."Therefore,"the"worker"who"already"has"an"apartment"and"has"benefited"from"the"old"communist" educational" system," if" he" earns" only" the" minimum" wage" is" clearly" indulging" in" his"situation."A"diligent"person"would"have"had"invested"already"in"selfFeducation"and"selfFdevelopment,"in" order" to" benefit" from" the"market" opportunities." The" skilled" worker" fuses," somehow," all" three"types"of"antiFheroes"in"one"figure:"the"lazy"incapable"of"learning"subject,"the"unwise"employee"who"invested"in"skills"that"are"not"validated"by"the"market,"and"the"confortable"individual"who"expects"to"be" provided" by" the" system," as" in" the" old" communist" times." Below" is" a" short" illustration" of" this"discursive"fusion,"taken"from"an"interviewee"working"in"IT,"as"software"developer."He"was"enrolled"at"the" Technical"University" but" never" finished" it." He"was" steadily" employed" form" the" second" college"year"and"he"has"a"high"monthly"wage."When"prompted" to"discuss" the" fate"of" the"workers"on" the"labour"market"synthetically"delivers"the"“selfFindulging"worker”"narrative.""

Take"a"man"who"goes"and"works"for"700"lei"[150"Euro]."He"isn’t"necessarily"a"poor"man,"he"is"a"man"who"lives"from"one"day"to"another,"but,"perhaps,"that"man"once"had"a"much"better"social"standing."The"state"gave"him"once"an"apartment,"which"does"mean"that"he"isn’t"paying"a" rent."He"has"a"place" to" stay." In"my"view" this" kind"of"a"man" is" indulging" in"his"position." I"mean"with"that"money,"700"lei"[150"Euro]"he"knows"that"he"can"live"from"month"to"month,"or"from"day"to"day."He"has"a"place"where"to"stay,"to"sleep"and"to"eat"something."The"basic."That" man" could" selfFeducate" himself," at" least" a" little" bit." He" could" do" much" more."Professionally" he" can" do" much" more," he" could" go" to" some" classes," he" could" be" more"informed"(M,"28,"IT,"secondary"education).""

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The" manual" workers" respond" to" such" implicit" accusations" by" stressing" their" willingness" to" work."”Please"believe"me," I" am"diligent,"when" I" lay"my"hand"on" something" I"work"very"hard." I"work" like"crazy." Everybody" was" saying" that" I" was" working" as" three" men”" (F," 45," textile" worker," secondary"education,)."In"fact,"the"major"filter"through"which"a"person’s"dignity"is"evaluated"is"that"of"his"or"her"industriousness."Those"who"do"not"work"are"easily"indexed"as"lazy,"by"the"workers"themselves."The"claim"to"dignity"based"on"diligence"is"hardly"a"new"phenomenon,"yet"is"strongly"exacerbated"by"the"flexibilization"of"the"contracts"through"the"personal"development"narrative.""The" communist" trope" is" a" recurrent" interFdiscursive" hybridization" also" for" the" skilled" workers."However," the" logic" is" quite" different." Communism" is" imagined" as" a"much"more" equitable" system,"where"all"workers"were"benefiting"from"the"rips"of"industrialization"and"development."“There"is"no"more" that"middle" layer,"now"there"are"either"poor"or"wealthy."Before" [in"communist" times]" there"were"all…in" the"middle."There" is"no"middle" class"anymore”" (M,"40,"worker," secondary"education)."This" type" of" narrative" is" hardly" specific" to" Cluj." The" workers" in" core" capitalist" countries" are" also"nostalgic"for"the"security"offered"by"the"Fordist"arrangements."But"what" is"specific"here"is"that"the"old" factory" security" is" equated" with" socialism," and" the" new" flexible" contracts" with" their"precariousness" are" equated" with" capitalism." The" interviewees" are" superposing" on" the" socialist"factory"the"fond"memories"of"solidarity"and"steady" job,"and"relegate"the"contemporary"world"to"a"harsh"uncaring"environment."""This"interFdiscursive"hybridization"bifurcates"in"two"major"themes"with"relative"autonomy,"but"which"forms"a" field"of" discursive"plausibility" for" dignity" claim"making" in" the" confine"of" the"employability"narrative."On" the" one" hand," given" the" invitation" of" the" employability" narrative" to" depoliticize" the"organization,"manual"workers"also"attribute"their"misfortunes"to"the"whims"of"interactions"with"the"colleagues,"supervisors,"managers"and"owners"–"confirming"Cremin’s"(2010)"insight"on"centrality"of"the"manager"in"the"flexible"firm."The"employer’s"quest"to"devaluate"their"skills"or"to"relegate"them"to"the"unskilled"enough"categories"are"attributed"to"their" lack"of"moral" fibre,"and" in"many" interviews"are"generalized"in"the"trope"of"the"unordered"society."Sometimes,"these"frustrations"are"expressed"in"rents"about"the"uncivilized"Romanians"and"backward"mentalities."“Cluj"is"developed,"it"has"small"parks,"and"trash"bins"and" ..." still,"people"throw"on"the" floor" the" food,"and"walk"on"the"grass."They"don’t"care."There"is"a"crosswalk,"but"still"he"is"now"crossing"on"it."And"it"is"futile"to"tell"the"child"to"go"on" the" crosswalk" if" he" sees" the" elders" disregarding" the" traffic" signs”" (M," 45," manual" worker,"secondary"education)."Time"after"time,"the"manual"workers"come"back" in" interviews"to"the"theme"unruly"society"and"the"fantasy"of" the" interviewer"being"or"playing"the"role"of"a"bastion"of"stability"and"morality."""On"the"other"hand,"there" is"an" important"discursive"continuity"between"what"was"relegated"in"the"socialist"Fordist"imaginary"as"the"unruly"worker"escaping"the"stability"of"the"factory"regime"and"what"is"now"the"undisciplined"worker" resisting" the"constrained"of" the" flexible"organization."This"place" is"filled"with"various"phantasmatic"objects:"the"welfare"dependent,"the"rural"worker,"the"early"retiree,"the"uncivilized"workers"from"the"eastern"part"of"Romania"(„moldovean”)."Yet"a"privileged"character"is"“the"gypsy”."""

“Why"not"try"to"integrate"them"somewhere"in"the"countryside?"Why"shouldn’t"they"work"in"agriculture?"Those"people"[the"gypsy"from"the"colony"near"the"city"landfill]"must"be"thought"

16""

the"culture"of" labour,"not"the"culture"of"begging."We"cannot"be"obliged"to"accept"that"our"downtown" parks" to" be" occupied" by" some" people" with" tribal" mentality”" (M," 37," manual"worker,"secondary"education).""

"”The" gypsy”" is" someone" incapable" of"working" neither" in" the" socialist" factory," nor" in" the" capitalist"one;"incapable"to"live"neither"in"the"socialist"block"of"flat,"or"in"the"leisure"city"of"capitalism;"both"a"lazy"person,"unwilling" to"work"enough,"and"an"uncontrollable,"unruly"person."This" imaginary" is" far"from" being" a" product" of" the" organizational" dynamics," it" is" linked" to" the" greater" neoliberal"marginalization"processes"(Vincze,"2013)."Nonetheless,"the"figure"of"the"„gypsy”"is"very"instrumental"in" making" organizational" claims." Workers" can" respond" to" the" accusation" of" being" lazy" by"acknowledging"that"there"are"lazy"people,"gypsies"are"case"in"point,"and"distancing"from"such"kind"of"people."It"would"be"hard"to"face"the"accusation"of"being"lazy"if"the"worker"would"have"to"respond"as"an" individual" by" contesting" the" very" category" through"which" she" is" (d)evaluated." Even" the" Roma"workers" are" playing" such" positioning" strategies." A" Roma" interviewee" made" a" clear" distinction"between" “the" lazy" and" filthy" gypsy”" and" themselves," a" hardFworking" and" educated" persona." As"opposed"to"the"lazy"gypsy,"so"lazy"that"it" is" incapable"of"keeping"a"minimum"personal"hygiene,"the"“working"gypsy”"actually"cannot"qualify"as"a"“gypsy”.""

"Everyone"went"to"the"office"manager"and"said"..."this"lady"has"to"be"hired"..."when"she"comes"to"work,"we"are"going"with"pleasure"to"the"bathroom."She"disinfects" from"a"to"z," she"puts"hydrochloric" thoroughly...." She" said" to"me"one" day..." Lady" you" deserve" to"work" here," you"deserve"a"contract."Your"hand"is"of"gold," it" is"visible"where"your"lay"down"your"hands."And"the"boss"..."he"goes"and"brings"me"a"coffee."And"I"said"that"“I"am"a"Gypsy”,"and"he"said"..."“Do"not"ever"say"that."You"are"gypsy?"No"way,"you"work”."(F,"45,"genitor,"primary"education)"

"In" the"above" interview"excerpt" the"genitor" in"her" forty"explains"how"she"cannot"be"called"a"gypsy"because"she"is"a"hard"working"person."She"deserves"even"a"proper"job"contract."In"fact,"the"manager"of" the" firm" where" she" worked" prompted" here" to" quit" calling" herself" a" “gypsy”," she" is" a" diligent"person."The"interviewee"herself"tackles"the"issue"of"stigma"with"the"trope"of"industriousness3."""To"sum"up,"the"employability"narrative"while"it"depoliticizes"the"relation"between"the"employer"and"employee," it"politicizes"the"relationship"between"employees"and"the"labour"market."Claims"toward"job" security," a" stable" position" and" sharing" the" burden" of" flexibility" become" increasingly" hard" to"articulate" at" an"organizational" level," or" at" a" greater" scale."Getting" and" keeping" a" job" are"personal"issues," which" can" be" avoided" through" willingness" to" work" and" selfFbetterment." While" these" are"discursive"invitation,"the"surprising"effect"is"that"these"criteria"are"used"for"classificatory"purposes"by"the" employers" themselves," to" assess" their" own" worthiness" and" worthiness" of" the" others." The"employability" narrative" becomes" a" lens" through" which" the" workers" assess" the" other" workers." It"becomes"a"narrative"that"politicizes"the"relation"between"workers."Yet,"not"by"providing"solidarity,"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""3" „The" gypsy”" is" a" trope" used" also" by" the" highly" skilled" workers" for" organizational" claim" making." When"prompted"by" the" interviewer" about" the"unskilled"Roma" leaving" in" the" informal" colony"near" the" city" landfill,"most"of"the"highly"skilled"workers"attribute"their"dire"situation"to"their"inability"to"learn."Structural"condition"made"them"unwilling"and"incapable"of"selfFeducation."The"main"filter"which"sorts"people"out" in"the"personal"development"narrative" is" the"willingness"to" learn."Those"who"are" incapable"to"do"that"are" lazy,"or"are"made"lazy"by"the"structure."“The"gypsy”"is"“structurally"lazy”."

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on" the" contrary," by" dividing" them" in" a" gradient" of" worthiness." The" class" struggle" between" the"employer"and"employees"are"deflected"into"class"tension"between"the"various"faction"of"the"working"class."""Conclusion))Following" the" fate" of" highly" skilled" workers" in" Information" Technology" and" Human" Resources" I"described"the"way"the"employability"narratives"and"practices"embeds"the"employee"in"the"fields"of"firms"in"Cluj,"Romania."The"highly"flexible"contract,"from"the"IT"and"HR"sectors,"does"not"come"with"any" strings" attached" between" the" employee" and" employers." On" the" contrary," the" employee" is"loosely"linked"to"the"firm"and"strongly"linked"to"a"career"field"between"firms."The"employee"is"invited"in" the" firm" to" participate" in" collaborative" fluxes" of" production" with" the" colleagues." Also," the"employee" is" invited" to" contribute" to" socialized" fluxes" of" knowledge" production" through" career"building" in" the" successive" position" held" in" various" firms." Professionalization," seen" as" personal"development," is"predicated"on"the"need"to"take"personal"responsibility" in"connecting"constantly"to"other"firms"and"networks"of"knowledge."However,"the"employee"individualized"and"decupled"from"organizational" controls." No" instruments" are" left" to" control" the" organization" except" the" personal"relations"developed"with"supervisor"and"the"colleagues."The"employability"narrative,"in"its"full"form"in" these" very" dynamic" sectors" of" the" labour" force," the" IT" and"HR," becomes" a" device" used" by" the"employer"to"discipline"the"skilled"and"unskilled"workers."However,"the"potential"critical"character"of"this"narrative,"of"organizational"claim"making"based"on"qualification,"is"neutralized"by"various"tactics"in" which" the" manual" employee" is" invited" to" imagine" herself" as" always" replaceable" by" others,"potentially"less"skilled"employees,"but"with"an"appetite"for"learning."If"one"is"not"confortable"within"a"particular"organizational"setting"she"always"can"search"to"another"job"in"another"firm."

Organizational"critiques"against"the"arbitrary"power"relation,"dispossession"of"the"means"to"control"decisions" and" information" flows" have" become" increasingly" difficult" to" be" formulated" against"hegemonic" employability" narrative" and" practices," which" depoliticizes" the" employeeFemployer"relations."On" the" contrary," such" critiques"are" increasingly"deflected" in"narratives" that"upsurge" the"tension" between" various" working" class" factions." The" interviewed" highly" skilled" workers" are"questioning"the"dignity"of"the"manual"workers"through"the"trope"of"selfFeducation."Manual"workers"are" allegedly" bearers" of" communist"mentalities," nostalgic" over" the" security" of" the" Fordist" factory,"lazy"because"of" unwillingness" to" transform" into" the"new" flexible" subject." The"manual"workers" are"claiming" back" their" position" in" the" public" hierarchy" of"worth" by" playing" the" card" of" diligence" and"industriousness." This" card" is" far" from" neutral," since" it" solicits" a" delimitation" game" against" the"phantasmatic" lazy"workers," best" embody"by" the"elusive" “gypsy”."Not" surprisingly," the" interviewed"unskilled" Roma" are" responding" to" such" devaluation" by" reclaiming" diligence," only" to" reinforce" the"trope"of"the"dignity"predicated"on"the"hard"working"phantasm."

This"game"of"worth"claiming"gains"plausibility"because"of"structural"transformation"of"the"city’s"social"stratification"as"the"aggregate"demand"changes."The"personal"development"narrative"in"Cluj"holds"in"those"factions"of"the"working"class"where"there"was"an"expansion"of"the"total"number"of"jobs,"as"was"the"case"of"professionals." In" last" ten"years"the"highly"qualified" jobs"rose" in"Cluj"with"more"than"22"000" jobs," i.e." 18%." However," personal" development" is" less" credible" for" those" who" witness" the"conversion"of" the" jobs" lost" in"manufacturing," in" the"city," into" less"secured" jobs"as"service"workers."But"what"seems"to"be"a"structural"transformation"becomes,"in"terms"of"policies"and"discursively,"an"

18""

individual" question" of" adaptability" and" selfFworth." And" ultimately," as" I" suggest" in" this" paper," a"question" of" being" invited" to" evaluate" the" worth" in" terms" of" employability." As" suggested" by" the"literature"(see"Chertkovskaya"et"al.,"2013)"this"is"far"from"being"a"urban"Eastern"European"issue."It"is"global"in"breath."However"the"particular"interFdiscursive"hybridizations"and"the"particular"history"of"the"transformation"of"the"socialist"Fordist"regime"into"a"postFFordist"one"makes"more"visible"the"way"class"struggle"is"deflected"in"tensions"between"factions"of"the"working"class."

""

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