18.07.2023

WHAT JOBS ARE YOUNG PEOPLE LOOKING FOR AND WHAT PREVENTS THEM FROM STAYING PERMANENTLY ON THE LABOR MARKET

Is youth unemployment a myth? What jobs are young people looking for and what prevents young people from vulnerable groups from staying permanently in the labor market?

The final event of the project "Employed for the Future" of the Concordia - Bulgaria Foundation will provide answers to some of the questions related to youth employment.

The project is aimed at young people aged 18-35, implemented from March 2022. 55 young people from vulnerable groups were consulted, including engagement in a paid internship program.

Trainings were conducted related to emotional intelligence and social skills, in which young people from risk groups have significant deficits, Grigor Stoyanov, head of the center for temporary accommodation of young people in "Concordia - Bulgaria", explained to BNR.

For young people at risk of falling into social isolation, finding a job turns out to be difficult, because they do not have the culture to organize and search, and very often they simply give up, Stoyanov told BNR. One of the most difficult things, according to him, turned out to be motivating the young people themselves to commit themselves for a long time.

"They have problems typical of the target group - financial obligations due to quick credits and loans, they often have liens, they are looking for the first time to be able to receive their pay as soon as possible - per day, per week, because they are in a situation where the money they need them now. It's hard for them to take advantage of standard job offers. They're looking for short-term employment, seasonal work. For them, the prospect of being employed long-term from the start is atypical and takes them out of the labor market a bit."

A lot of these at-risk youth tend to work a little in the gray sector, then not work for a while, then work again somewhere, which is an unsustainable pattern, he added.

"A manner that does not imply progress that would provide them with a stable life."

Against this background, there are many employers who state the need for unskilled labor, Grigor Stoyanov added, noting the response from the employers and their support and commitment in hiring these people.

"The labor market has changed a lot. While ten years ago qualification, experience, some kind of specialization was required, you had to search yourself, be the active party. Currently, employers tend to hire people who have no experience, qualification, who just want to to work and provide them with everything so that they acquire skills. Which is a radical change, a positive one, because it gives young people who would otherwise not have a stable job the opportunity to get it."

Stoyanov also drew attention to the "extremely unrealistic notion", "that they can always go to an EU country and there a very high-paying job awaits them and everything there is better", which makes them skeptical about their realization here.