13.01.2021
Drastic growth of new unemployed after the New Year
Drastic growth of the registered unemployed in the first working week of the New Year, reported by the National Statistical Institute.
The data show that from the fourth to the 10th of January there are 15,700 people registered in the labor offices, and the number of people who started working in the same period is five times less - only 3300 people.
For comparison, in the week between December 28 and January 3, the new unemployed are 1,600 people, the same number are employed through employment offices.
Specialized monitoring of the labor market due to the pandemic has been carried out since February 3, 2020. During this time, the newly registered unemployed in the whole country are just under 397,000 people, and the employed 240 thousand.
For the week of January 4-10, the new unemployed are the most in Plovdiv district - a little over a thousand people, followed by Varna and Blagoevgrad, respectively with 960 and 882 newly registered.
Meanwhile, the Employment Agency informed that employers can apply until January 15 to receive funds under the current design of measure 60/40, which was extended by the government until March 31, 2021.
13.01.2021
At the online forum "Career in Bulgaria": The flat tax on income and long motherhood among the advantages of working in our country
More than 1,500 people and more than 200 employers offering more than 1,070 vacancies have registered to participate in the online forum "Career in Bulgaria", organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the Employment Agency.
Hundreds of vacancies were announced at the online forum "Career in Bulgaria", organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Employment Agency.
Vacancies are the most diverse - from seamstresses to IT specialists for different cities in the country. The idea is for them to apply, including Bulgarians who live abroad and would like to be realized in Bulgaria in a pandemic.
The event was held through the European Labor Days platform, provided to us for use by the European Commission.
During the event, 145 interviews were conducted between employers and registered participants, and another 51 were agreed.
Jobs have been published by many different employers - from those on a global scale who hire employees for their offices in Bulgaria, to smaller companies looking for people in different localities.
"The sectors for which employees are sought are also extremely diverse: office positions, financial services, various positions in which foreign language proficiency is leading and, of course, positions for IT professionals," said the head of the European Employment Network department "Еures" in the Employment Agency Gabriela Dimcheva.
Employers had the opportunity to present their companies and apply for vacancies.
Participants had the opportunity to make direct contact with employers to find out about the jobs they offer, as well as to apply for job advertisements.
Atanaska Todorova, the chief labor market expert at CITUB, describes such forums as a step forward.
The flat tax of 10 percent on income and the long maternity leave of 410 days are among the strengths of Bulgaria, said in his presentation at the online forum Deputy Minister Lazar Lazarov.
He also made a comparison with the transport costs, which in his words in our country are lower than in other countries, as well as the fees for kindergartens. In our country this fee is BGN 60 per month, and the children's kitchen is BGN 1.30 per day.
In London, a part-time babysitter per week, including insurance, is between £ 250 and £ 400, and a nursery up to 25 hours a week is £ 131 a week.
Last but not least are the comparisons in pay. Lazarov gave an example with a comparison of the income of employees in the IT sector after deducting basic expenses between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. The average gross salary in this sector in our country is 3969 leva, and in Great Britain - 3423 pounds, and the net values with reported social security contributions and income tax are 3072 leva and 2622 pounds, respectively. The bills also include a deduction from the average rent for a one-room apartment for Bulgaria of BGN 500, for Great Britain - BGN 620. The monthly transport card is also deducted - BGN 50 and £ 138, respectively.
In the end, the rest of the salary in our country is BGN 2,522 or 65 percent of the gross salary, and in Great Britain it is 1,864 pounds or 54 percent of the gross salary, Lazarov explained.
13.01.2021
Another BGN 40 million have been provided by OPHRD 2014-2020 for compensations for maintaining employment in tourism and transport
The Government agreed that the Managing Authority of the Operational Program "Human Resources Development" 2014-2020 to conclude contracts for grants of up to 1.76% above the budget of the Operational Program in order to provide additional funds for financing the measures to combat the effects of the coronavirus.
This will provide an additional financial resource of BGN 40 million. It will be directed to the procedure "Short-term employment support in response to the pandemic of COVID-19" with a specific beneficiary Employment Agency, under which employers, self-employed and municipal еnterprises from the hotel and restaurant industry, transport and tourism can receive compensations for maintaining the employment of their employees in the amount of BGN 290 per month.
The additional BGN 40 million will be able to secure the applications of employers and the self-insured for receiving these funds, and the period for accepting applications for payment of compensations will be extended until 31.03.2021.
13.01.2021
The state will pay fees to students who have a contract with an employer for internships and jobs
The state will pay in full or in part the fees of students who have a contract with an employer to provide an internship in the relevant specialty for the period of study and in the workplace after its successful completion. This provides for an ordinance approved by the government, which regulates the conditions for concluding contracts and the method of financing student education.
Annually, the Minister of Education and Science will approve a list of specialties for the training in which funds are provided from the state budget under this Ordinance. The list will be prepared by higher schools, forms of education and number of students for whom full or partial payment of tuition fees is provided. The Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministers through the Minister of Education and Science, will adopt a list of employers registered in the territory of the country, who have the right to conclude contracts with the students by the order of the Ordinance. This list will also indicate the specialties and the number of students for whom the employer has declared readiness to sign a contract. Students who have signed a contract will not pay fees for the time of their studies at the university, and at the same time will have experience with the employer. in his specialty. Upon successful completion, the same students will continue to work for their employer for a minimum of 5 years, during which they will receive remuneration of not less than the average basic salary in the company.
The ordinance is adopted in implementation of the approved amendments to the Higher Education Act, as the main goal is to implement a mechanism for optimizing the relationship between higher education and the needs of the economy and society by stimulating training in important specialties where there is a shortage of highly qualified personnel.
13.01.2021
Who can get interest-free loans because of the crisis
The Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) has approved loans for over BGN 268 million under the two government anti-crisis programs it manages. The funds supported 26,221 individuals and provided an opportunity to finance more than 1,200 companies.
The value of the confirmed loans for small and medium-sized companies is a little over BGN 158 million. The most serious interest is from the sectors of trade and tourism, production and transport. Among the supported are also companies in the field of construction, agriculture, services and advertising.
After the implementation of the new parameters, which were approved by the EC at the end of November last year, in the work of commercial banks BDB now guarantees loans of up to BGN 1 million for small and medium enterprises and up to BGN 2 million for large companies which suffer negative consequences from the pandemic. Loans are granted by 9 partner banks with reduced collateral requirements, reduced interest rates and the possibility of a grace period of up to 3 years.
Partner banks can include both new and existing loans in the program. The condition is that the companies experience difficulties in 2020 and have not been overdue for more than 90 days in the last year.
The financial institutions granting the loans are Allianz Bank, DSK Bank, Bulgarian-American Credit Bank, Investbank, First Investment Bank, Postbank, D Commercial Bank, UniCredit Bulbank and UBB.
More than 40,000 individuals have applied for interest-free loans, according to commercial banks, and just over 1,240 are currently being considered. The total value of the approved loans is over BGN 110 million, and the average amount is BGN 4,229.
Following changes in the program for interest-free lending to individuals, BDB now guarantees loans up to BGN 6,900, instead of up to BGN 4,500, as previously planned. The adopted changes provide an opportunity for lending to citizens who have been on unpaid leave due to the pandemic, and in the current period of restrictive anti-epidemic measures imposed are unemployed.
Applicants may be employees who have been on forced unpaid leave or self-employed persons whose activities have been temporarily suspended due to the emergency situation. The maximum repayment period is 5 years, with a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 24 months grace period. The loans are exempt from fees, commissions and penalties.
The partners in the program are 12 commercial banks, 10 of which continue to accept applications for interest-free loans. These are Allianz Bank Bulgaria, DSK Bank, Investbank, First Investment Bank, D Commercial Bank, UniCredit Bulbank, United Bulgarian Bank, Eurobank Bulgaria, Raiffeisenbank and Central Cooperative Bank. With them, BDB concluded guarantee agreements for just under BGN 160 million.
The application period for both programs has been extended until June 2021.
12.01.2021
The deadline for applying for the third design of the measure 60/40 expires
It affects employers wishing to receive funds for the period before January 1, 2021.
Employers who wish to receive funds for the period before 01.01.2021 and meet the conditions of the Council of Ministers Decree № 151/03.07.2020, as amended and ext. with CMD № 278/12.10.2020 (the third design of the measure 60/40), may submit an application and the documents required to it by 17:00 on January 15, 2021, announced by the Employment Agency.
This is regulated in the Council of Ministers Decree № 416 published on Friday to extend the application of measure 60/40 until the end of March 2021.
Employers who have not complied with the deadline and have submitted applications under CMD № 151/2020, as amended and ext. with CMD № 278/2020 after 15.12.2020, can apply again until January 15, 2021, attaching to their application new documents proving a decrease in revenues already for December 2020 and for a comparable previous month or period according to the regulation of the measure.
To the already approved employers under the third design of measure 60/40, the Employment Agency reminds that the payment is made on the basis of a submitted current list of employees for the previous month and a Letter - statement for monthly reporting. The deadline for submission of these documents is January 29, 2021. The specified deadlines for acceptance of application documents and for submission of monthly reporting documents for the previous period are determined in accordance with CMD № 416/30.12.2020 in Transitional and Final Provisions and by Order of the Executive Director of the Employment Agency, according to Art. 4, para 1 and art. 5, para 1 of the Council of Ministers Decree № 151/2020.
The Employment Agency draws attention to the fact that employers must comply with the set deadlines for application (15.01.2021) and for monthly reporting (29.01.2021), as the documents submitted after these dates are not subject to verification and evaluation by the commissions in employment offices.
The Agency recommends both applicants and already approved employers to submit a strict check for completeness and correctness of the data contained in the documents before submitting in order to avoid their repeated request, which is a prerequisite for extending the processing and evaluation period.
Full and detailed information, as well as supporting materials, are published on the website of the Employment Agency in the section "Financial incentives for maintaining employment", where the new application documents for measure 60/40 for the current fourth period will be published - from 1 January to March 31, 2021.
12.01.2021
MLSP and the Employment Agency organize an online forum "Career in Bulgaria"
The online forum "Career in Bulgaria" is organized today by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the Employment Agency.
The event will be held through the platform of the European Commission "European Labor Days". Registration for participants and employers is now open and completely free. Both people from the country and our compatriots abroad can look for work.
More than 1,400 jobseekers from Bulgaria and abroad have already registered to take part in the forum, which started at 11 am, told Gabriela Dimcheva, head of the European Employment Network's Еures department at the Employment Agency.
"Because there are more than 360 job vacancies with more than 800 positions on them. These jobs have been published by many different employers. From employers globally, who hire employees for their offices in Bulgaria, to smaller companies looking for people in different settlements," she said.
"The sectors for which employees are sought are also extremely diverse: office positions, financial services, various positions in which foreign language proficiency is leading and, of course, positions for IT specialists," Dimcheva added.
The representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Agency will present online information about the opportunities for starting or continuing professional realization in Bulgaria, peculiarities of the labor and social legislation in our country, the measures for combining personal and professional life, internship programs, professional development, data on living and working conditions in the country.
Employers will have the opportunity to present their companies and apply for vacancies.
Participants will have the opportunity to make direct contact with employers to find out about the jobs they offer, as well as to apply for job advertisements, which are currently over 250 on the website of the event.
12.01.2021
Record drop in job postings
According to the latest data, new job offers are 19% less than in November and almost 45% less than in December 2019.
Job ads reached the lowest levels since the first lockdown last spring. In December, a double-digit decline in proposals was reported, according to data from the leading job sites in Bulgaria, BNR reports.
The negative trend in the number of published job advertisements, which started in October last year, reached drastic levels in December.
According to the latest data, the new job offers are 19% less than in November and almost 45% less than in December 2019.
Thus, the level of published job offers again reached the low values of last spring in the period shortly after the onset of the coronary crisis.
Fewer workers are already in demand in all sectors of the economy, including high-tech industries.
The largest decline in job postings was observed in construction, healthcare and manufacturing.
11.01.2021
The state returns money to every parent who ...
As of today, January 11, the campaign for declaring the incomes of the citizens from 2020 starts.
BGN 20 per child will be returned to you from the state treasury if you did not use the tax relief in December through your employer and file an annual income tax return.
As of today, January 11, the campaign for declaring the income of the citizens from 2020 starts. A tax return must be submitted by all those who have taxable income outside their salary, such as fees, rents, civil contracts, as well as if they want to use some relief and did not do so through their employer at the end of 2020.
The tax relief for children allows one of the parents to reduce their due taxes by BGN 20 for one child, by BGN 40 for two children and by BGN 60 for three or more children. If a person has paid all his taxes last year, now the treasury can refund these amounts.
For this purpose, the parent must fill in the application for the use of benefits to his/her annual tax return and at the time of submitting the return there must be no unpaid debts to the treasury.
A discount of 5% of the top-up tax, but not more than BGN 500, can be used by people who submit their income tax return by March 31 and at the time of filing have no enforceable obligations to the treasury. The deadline for submitting declarations for individuals is April 30.
In March 2021, after the submission of data by employers and payers of fees, the electronic pre-filled income tax return will be released, which is submitted with a runway or electronic signature.
It will automatically enter data on income received in 2020 from salaries, civil contracts and fees, rental income for properties whose tenants are legal entities and others. Therefore, if you want to use the conveniences of a pre-filled tax return and not take notes from the employer for income received, it is better to wait.
But if the treasury has to return your money, the earlier you submit the declaration, the faster you will receive it.
One of the tax reliefs is for young families with a mortgage loan. It allows one of the spouses to reduce his taxable income with the interest expenses incurred during the year for the first BGN 100,000 of a mortgage loan for the purchase of their only home. Thus, if a person has paid BGN 3,000 for interest, now the taxes due by him will be reduced by BGN 300.
Rules
The deadline for companies is June 30
Companies file corporate tax returns from March 1 to June 30, according to the latest changes in tax legislation. The deadline for paying corporate tax is also June 30. These deadlines apply to both sole traders and farmers who have chosen to pay tax as sole traders.
If a sole trader has other income, for example from rent, he must declare it by April 30, and then he can submit a second declaration for his commercial activity by June 30. Of course, as early as April 30, he can declare all his income from 2020.
Additional information about the tax and insurance requirements can be obtained from the website of the revenue agency nap.bg and on the phone of the Information Center of the National Revenue Agency 0700 18 700 at a price according to the tariffs of the respective operator.
08.01.2021
We educate adults from vulnerable groups with BGN 15 million from the EU
Persons over 16 years of age without education will be trained
Adults from the vulnerable groups will be included in literacy and competence acquisition courses to acquire primary education or the first stage of high school (ie - to have completed 10th grade). The goal is to get a better realization on the labor market through education. This will be done through the gratuitous provision of BGN 15 million under the Operational Program "Science and Education for Smart Growth", which is funded by the EU.
The funds will be allocated on a project basis under procedure BG05M2OP001-3.020 "Adult Literacy-2", and the approved proposals can receive between BGN 250,000 and 750,000. They can be directed to persons over 16 years of age, who, however, have not completed classes from the primary or lower secondary stage, dropped out of the education system, illiterate or illiterate persons, unemployed or persons seeking or receiving protection.
The projects will be implemented in Bulgaria in partnership between schools, personal development support centers and non-profit legal entities. Municipalities, the Employment Agency through the directorates of the Labor Office, the Regional Departments of Education, the Agency for Social Assistance through the territorial directorates of Social Assistance, and the State Agency for Refugees can be included as associate partners.
Among the activities that will be encouraged under the procedure is the re-inclusion in the education system of persons who have reached the age of 16 but have dropped out of school and/or do not have primary education. To this end, they will first have to be found, and then through personal counseling and family work to be motivated to participate in literacy and junior high school skills courses or to validate their results from the informal training and informal learning for acquiring an educational degree/stage of primary education. The goal for those who already have a primary education certificate is to be encouraged to continue their education in a higher level of education - the first stage of high school education - 8-10 grade, and the second stage of high school education - 11-12 grade.
Projects may also provide for literacy courses or the acquisition of competences from the lower secondary stage of primary education for persons over 16 years of age, who shall then complete an examination. Those who pass them will receive certificates for the acquired skills.
The persons who will be included in the projects will be helped to make the transition from education to realization on the labor market. This will be done by informing about the presentation of suitable professions with the help of group / individual activities for acquaintance with professions, consulting according to the education acquired under the project for adaptation of the labor market at regional or local level.
The deadline for application/submission of project proposals is 31.03.2021, 17:30. Project proposals are submitted by applicants only in electronic format, signed with a qualified electronic signature (QES).
More information can be found here.
