Bulgaria in need of coordinated policies re employment, incomes and education

published on 3/31/10 1:05 PM

The Economic and Social Council adopted a package of opinions presenting the positions of the civil society on the country’s most pressing issues in the short and long term. These refer to economy rebuilding measures in the aftermath of the crisis that will stimulate the labour market. Some of the measures envisage improvement of the work force qualifications, the social protection, the incomes of the Bulgarians, as well as a stabilization of the pension system. The opinions of Bulgaria’s civil parliament are the basis for the drafting of relevant government policies in certain spheres. The Bulgarian Economic and Social Council is part of the network of economic and social councils of the EU member states. Their opinions are part of the ongoing discussions on the direction of Europe’s development up to 2020.

According to the experts of the Economic and Social Council the Bulgarian economy was strongly affected by the crisis because of its open nature, its orientation towards high energy consuming productions at low added value and the lowering of the qualification of the human resources in recent years. The building of a knowledge-based economy knows no alternative. It will provide a high economic growth and opportunities for fulfillment and a decent life for every Bulgarian. That is why the state and the business need to unite efforts to foster investments and research and development, as well as the quick absorption of EU funding under the operational programmes for the business.

In the opinion of the Economic and Social Council the labour market in Bulgaria suffers from a lasting structural deformation. A large part of the work force is employed in sectors with low labour productivity. The country loses its specific advantages in the sphere of innovative technologies due to the lack of appropriate industries and qualified personnel. The link between ‘work salary’ and ‘labour productivity’ has been severed. In order to solve the problems on the labour market in the aftermath of the crisis, quick action is needed, Plamen Dimitrov, vice-president of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and member of the Economic and Social Council, told a Radio Bulgaria reporter,

“The most imminent measures are related to the draft of a common policy or a programme for the rebuilding of the economy, the labour market and overall employment, which should follow immediately after the governmental anti-crisis measures. The emphasis should be laid on new jobs, and the new sectors in which Bulgaria will have to take the leading competitive leadership. That requires the build-up of the respective framework of qualifications. However, we need to be aware which economy sectors we are going to develop in priority as part of the European distribution of labour.”

The Economic and Social Council has reserved a special place for inclusion of young people on the labour market upon graduation. This can happen through traineeships or the creation of jobs with the financial support of the state, i.e. the so-called ‘subsidized employment’. The Council proposes the draft of a national programme in line with the European “New Skills for New Jobs’ initiative. This includes financial support for training of highly efficient jobs within the traditional economy, the high-tech sectors and the environment-friendly productions. There has been a proposal to set up a national fund for investments in youth qualification, as well as target investments in capable young people. The Council experts see the highly qualified Bulgarians residing abroad as a talent pool for the national economy by way of encouraging their geographic and professional mobility. Explains Plamen Dimitrov,

“We appeal for the establishment of a single Migration Agency, which will monitor and manage the movement of Bulgarians abroad, and the coming of immigrants from third countries in the direction of Bulgaria, mostly. The most important thing is to monitor the movement of the Bulgarian work force abroad, the set-up of registers of the highly qualified and educated Bulgarians, and country’s talent abroad and its stimulation, so that they could return to the homeland with their knowledge and experience, and assist the Bulgarian labour market.”

In terms of incomes the Bulgarians rank last among the European citizens. Experts say there should be a direct connection between salary increase and labour productivity. Remuneration should consider the rise in inflation rate, and make use of the system of bonuses based on the amount and quality of the labour.

English version by Radostin Zhelev

По публикацията работи: Milka Dimitrova

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Bulgaria in need of coordinated policies re employment, incomes and education

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