14.10.2019

EMPLOYERS INTEREST ORIENTES TO LABOR MARKET RESERVES

Bulgarian and foreign businesses are increasingly opening up to minorities and discrimination is decreasing

Each meeting with an employer opens up new opportunities. Employers in all areas of business are increasingly open to hiring different groups of people. Age is less and less a factor. This is commented by Georgi K. Parvanov, member of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Association for Human Management.

There are over 200 thousand people in Bulgaria who do not work or study. "These are mainly young people who receive immigrant money, on average, 300-500 euros a month. Considering all the groups so far, there is a reserve of about 500,000 people that can flow into the labor market, Parvanov said, adding that he hoped to return at least 300,000 to 500,000 abroad.

The conference, entitled "Diversity and Inclusion in the Labor Market," will present the results of the Bridge to Business program, which promotes access for highly educated young Roma to high-skilled jobs in the private sector, he informed.

"The unemployment rate of young Roma in the country is below 3% and is comparable to the unemployment rate among university graduates as a whole. The incomes of the two groups are also comparable. The unemployment rate for people with low and secondary education is much higher. It goes up to 30-40% there" the expert said.

Georgi K. Parvanov defined the Bridge to Business project as very successful. "It involved about 170 students in the last class, about 120 young Roma and 25 companies, and the results are encouraging, he emphasized. They reveal how minorities can be integrated more optimally into the labor market. Different trainings and practices are carried out in different companies. The experience is also shared by French representatives with experience in the field."

Parvanov also noted good examples in the integration of different communities in the labor market.

"In William Hughes Bulgaria, 10% of the staff are representatives of minorities with good working habits. Bulgarian and foreign businesses are increasingly opening up to them and discrimination is diminishing. It is a matter of time to see more such representatives in fast food establishments, in banks, etc. When it comes to discrimination, it is bilateral" Parvanov is convinced.

He advises minority representatives to try to be more active in trying to get out of the ghetto, improve their education, and enter the labor market.

"55+ and 16-18 year olds are also groups of interest in the labor market," predicts a representative of the Bulgarian Association for Human Management.