The world economic crisis has greatly changed the labour market in Bulgaria. The biggest Internet job search engines reported a considerable decrease in the number of job offers in the period 2008-2010. At the same time the number of people looking for a job is increasing. The good news is that 2011 was the first year since the beginning of the crisis when the number of job offers increased, Plamen Vushev, manager of the jobs.bg web site says. There are more job offers in the IT sector, administration, and tourism.
“The total number of published job offers in all sectors of the economy in 2011 was about 253,000, he says. 2011 started very well with a marked increase of job offers compared to 2010. However, the number of people looking for a job is much bigger than the vacancies. Also there are many applicants for certain positions, while for others the companies have difficulties finding qualified workers. Most of the people apply for jobs in the service and trade sector. The number of applicants in fast developing sectors like the IT one is much smaller. Specialists are also needed in the outsourcing industry.”
In 2012 there still will be career opportunities, the experts from jobs.bg say and add that while IT jobs and jobs in call centers were previously predominant, now there are foreign companies that also look for Bulgarian financial specialists. A big international company, which is among the top performers, according to the Fortune magazine is expected to hire between 200-300 experts in the accounting and financial sphere, Ani Dimitrova of jobs.bg says.
“In the coming years this company will provide about 1000 jobs in Bulgaria, she says. Bulgaria must be prepared for this increasing interest of foreign companies for outsourcing and mobility. Companies are also looking for experts in Scandinavian languages,” Ms Dimitrova adds.
However, most job offers in Bulgaria in 2012 will continue to be in the IT sectors. Software engineers and designers will not remain unemployed. Outsourcing of services and administrative work to Bulgaria will also continue, experts point out.
English: Alexander Markov
