02.07.2024
INTERNSHIP IS A VALUABLE CURRENCY ON THE LABOR MARKET
Internships are the currency with which businesses 'buy' pupils and students in search of career development. The European Union is looking for a way to ease their supply to reduce turnover and retain talent, especially among 15-29-year-olds.
The reason is that there is a serious "neither" generation (that neither works nor studies), although it will decrease to 11.7% in the EU in 2022. But due to the aging population, high digitalization and high demand, the supply of internships is more challenging. The number of paid internships with social benefits and with marketing hype is increasing, but we can talk about the quality and benefits of it when actually starting work or when returning to the company that provided this opportunity.
It is often a requirement of employers that candidates have previous experience and this is a difficulty for young people. A solution to this problem is internship programs, whether in private companies, non-governmental organizations or in the administration. This option benefits both parties – students and learners get the practical experience and referrals they need, and employers find enthusiastic employees at a relatively low (or even no) cost. An internship is a good opportunity for companies to train new employees and test their abilities before hiring them full-time – i.e. a kind of trial period. After completing successful internships, many young people remain employed and are immediately a valuable addition because they already know the team, the work environment and the requirements of the position.
Statistics show that nearly 90% of companies in Bulgaria offer or have offered internships, with about 30% having their own internship programs, and more than half accepting interns even without special programs. The shortage of qualified and even unqualified personnel makes more and more companies turn to educational institutions in search of new personnel. The internship is the first step in the process of creating good employer-employee relations.
According to a Eurobarometer survey from April 2023, four out of five young people surveyed have done at least one internship, and for one in five it was their first professional experience. 68% found a job afterwards, with more than half of them signing a contract with the same employer. The share of young Europeans with internships in another country is growing - 21%, compared to 9% in 2013. More than half of the interns were paid. In March 2024, the European Commission proposed to improve working conditions for trainees, including for "fair pay", but there is still no decision on how to ensure longer traineeships (over 6 months), which is also a condition for more probable detention.
This challenging context is even more dramatic in Bulgaria, where, according to the National Statistical Institute, for 2023 in the age group 15-29, inactive youth is 13.8%. According to data from the Employment Agency for the period 2021 - 30.06.2023, internships are most often provided in the sectors "Trade; Automobile and Motorcycle Repair', 'Government', 'Manufacturing Industry' and 'Professional Activities and Research'. About two-thirds of the youth were employed in them. In 2022, 3,876 young people are included in state programs and measures for employment and training.
