14.05.2024
WHAT ARE THE META SKILLS THAT COMPANIES LOOK FOR IN THEIR EMPLOYEES
"Technology is literally creating new jobs, eliminating others, changing the nature of work and the nature of jobs as we know them. The future is becoming more unpredictable and creating an ever-increasing environment of uncertainty and anxiety among workers." This was said by Svetlana Doncheva - director of the Center for Project Management at the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) to the participants in the "Time for Update" conference.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that the main characteristic of the labor market will be its constant change, and lifelong learning - a basic principle for adaptation and professional development. And this is exactly where the role of meta skills comes in, as the key to a more successful future. Many consider these to be the only sure-fire skills of the future because they are the skills that enhance a person's ability to develop by learning and quickly applying new knowledge. Through meta skills we can develop, learn and apply other skills. And what we can say for sure is that learning becomes a permanent part of the work process. Unfortunately, these are skills that are often undervalued by both employees and employers. Very often, meta skills are equated to the so-called soft skills, for which each of us writes a word or two about them at the end of our CV.
The general perception of soft and meta skills is that they are something that accompanies the core, most important technical professional skills and are rather aspirational in nature. You will hardly find them in the curricula either. It is believed that because they are associated with human behavior and reflect psychological states and attitudes, they are something you either have or don't have, Doncheva explained.
According to her, this is not true. These are skills that can be built and developed just as successfully as any other skill. It is also true that in the coming time of revolutionary changes in business, they will be one of the most sought after. Because they will contribute to faster adaptation, faster learning of new skills and professional development.
She cites a prediction by futurist Alvin Toffler, who in 1970 predicted, "The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and learn again."
The expert points out which meta skills are most in demand
First of all, it is the ability to know each other well.
Knowing ourselves means having a very clear picture of our current abilities and skills, but also of our deficits and limitations. The ability to self-observe, to be self-critical is key to mastering this skill. Empathy is also a key skill on the path to self-knowledge. In this case, by empathy we mean the ability to accept with gratitude and respect the negative feedback we receive from others, and this is difficult. It is difficult to accept criticism as something other than insult, aggression, hurt, hostility. But it is the ability to accept it coolly, to separate it from personal feelings and draw conclusions for yourself, that will bring you closer to better self-knowledge.
A classic example of the lack of ability to assess the situation soberly is the popular comment of the head of Microsoft Steve Ballmer from the time when Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone. Laughing, he says it's the world's most expensive phone that doesn't even have a keyboard, making it completely unsuitable for business. A replica that evaporates billions in revenue for Microsoft. An example is that when you do not have a clear view of the situation, you fail to adapt to change. The same challenge will stand not only before the companies, but also before us - the workers, on our way forward.
Of course, the meaning of self-knowledge is to give ourselves a clear idea of where we are, but also where we want to go. And here comes the turn of the second very important meta skill – setting and achieving specific goals in one's professional development. This will allow us to be aware of the change we need to initiate in order to adapt to the new situation.
In order to achieve change faster, it is necessary to be flexible, creative and sustainable.
Flexibility will provide us with the ease of abandoning skills that are no longer needed and the willingness to replace them with new ones. A calculator is a convenient way to do simple calculations, but if we throw it in the trash and concentrate on our Excel skills, we will work faster and more efficiently.
Being creative doesn't just mean coming up with new and unique ideas, it means being able to come up with solutions to old and new problems. At the core of this skill is actually analytical thinking – being able to analyze the different aspects of a problem and thus generate ideas, identify obstacles, take action. Being creative also means having the courage to do things that no one else has done. Courage, of course, goes with the belief that you are on the right path.
And here comes the next skill – resilience. Resilience as perseverance and endurance - qualities that will help us in difficult situations, in cases where we have failed. For me, this is the most important skill.
In conclusion, she points out that a cardinal change of mindset is needed. We all have to go through this change and face a different future in which we will have to be more responsible to ourselves, to the decisions we make, and to be aware that refusing to change, staying in the comfort zone will lead to inevitable marginalization of the labor market, to occupying low-paid positions, to poverty. And that will be our conscious choice. The opposite will guarantee us swimming on the crest of the wave, believes Svetlana Doncheva.
13.05.2024
MAIL OR PHONE CALL - WHEN WHAT TO CHOOSE
Very often, business matters are most easily settled by e-mail. But not in all cases, writes Deutsche Welle. When should I send an email and when would a phone call be more helpful? What are the rules that help good communication?
It has happened to everyone: to ask a question by e-mail, to receive an answer in which, however, not everything is clear - that is, you have to write again and again. With a phone conversation, everything would be clarified much faster - you call and discuss things, someone would advise.
This is true, but it is not always known in advance which channel is most suitable for communication. Everyone happens to send an email where a phone call would make much more sense, or vice versa - depending on preferences. Both channels have both their pluses and minuses, says German communications consultant Sabine Lansing, who has also worked as a career advisor for major concerns such as Thyssen, Siemens, Vodafone and others.
The advantages and disadvantages
The telephone allows for direct communication, where questions are answered immediately, and further contact opportunities are opened up. Anyone can be found relatively easily on the phone, but the time of the call may turn out to be inappropriate, and no written evidence of the conversation remains. In any case, if it is something urgent, the phone is irreplaceable, it also provides an opportunity to quickly clear up the spontaneous questions that have arisen, as well as the ambiguities where email is more difficult to help.
Its advantages are that it can be written from any possible place, at any time, and the recipient can decide for himself when to read it. But there are definitely downsides – the nuances in the conversation are missing, the first email sent may return with requests for new and new details and so on ad infinitum, and leaving the main topic is difficult, i.e. there are limitations, Lansing points out.
According to subject matter expert Andrea Kom, there is one important rule of thumb in email communication to avoid misunderstandings: "If the topic is too complex, emotional, or difficult to describe in a few words, it's better to pick up the phone and have a personal conversation."
When we take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of both communication channels, we can easily identify where their strengths and weaknesses are. And let's decide whether to call or write an email.
When is the phone recommended and when is email recommended?
When introducing yourself - when you have just started a job or have recently taken up a certain position, a call is more appropriate. As well as - if you do not know the interlocutor personally and are not aware of his way of communication. However, in a conversation, it is possible that the topic is not understood correctly, the questions turn out to be too many and there are many points to clarify. If even one of these cases is likely, it is better to give up the phone, advises the expert.
As is well known, we cannot live without e-mails, a large part of our official communication is based on them. They are recommended when the answers to the points mentioned above are negative - as constant phoning is annoying and can disturb the flow of work.
Andrea Kom has formulated a whole 12 steps for creating a perfect email, starting from the correct spelling of the address, the exact wording of the subject and the correct address. From there, the email should have a streamlined structure and the attachments should be labeled. You have to start with the most important, Kom told the German publication "Merkur", then you have to be careful that the wording is unambiguous and the language used is correct. The ending is also not unimportant - the appropriate closing words must be chosen.
However, business phone calls should not be conducted without preparation. "It is important that the caller has an idea of the structure of the conversation in advance and has the relevant arguments," business communication specialist Ute Gitzen-Wieland told the Rheinische Post. Sabine Lansing is of the opinion that emails are an ideal medium when the subject is familiar and the participants in the communication know what it is about, when they know each other and short lines are sufficient. Their value also lies in the fact that "what is written remains", and there is no need to exchange opinions in real time.
A combination of both is optimal
If you have an important phone call coming up, it's best to arrange it first via email, advises the expert. Specify what would be the most suitable moment, and you can clarify in advance the content of the conversation. After that, you can make a short written summary to send to your interlocutor, and thus you will have a protocol that you can return to later.
Whether it's an email or a phone call, think carefully about whether you need to get in touch immediately, says the communications specialist. Her view is that it often makes sense to wait to clarify more things at once.
She also advises to be careful to whom copies of the emails are sent - not to include anyone who does not necessarily need to be familiar with their content. And keep in mind that if it's the boss, bosses often don't read everything they get even though they've been sent a copy. So ask if you're not sure if your supervisor wants to be kept up to date with relevant correspondence.
10.05.2024
GROWTH OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH IN OUR COUNTRY
Unemployed youth under the age of 25 in Bulgaria are 16 percent or 19,000 people - this is what the latest Eurostat data for March 2024 show. In one year - compared to March 2023, their number has risen dramatically - by 6,000 people.
On average for the European Union, the share of people without a livelihood in this age group, according to current data, is 14.6 percent, which equates to nearly 2.8 million young people.
Youth unemployment in the eurozone is 14.1 percent or two million two hundred and sixty thousand people.
The record holder for the share of young people under 25 without a livelihood is Spain – just over 27 percent. At the other pole is Germany - 5.8 percent.
Bulgaria ranks in one group with countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France and Lithuania, where a level of around 16 percent is reported. For comparison, in March last year, the share of young unemployed people in our country was slightly below 10 percent.
According to Eurostat data, the total unemployment in our country in March 2024 was 4.4 percent, which equates to 134,000 people or 5,000 more than in March 2023.
09.05.2024
JOB POSTINGS RISE IN APRIL
Job offers increased by 5 percent in April, or by nearly 2,300 compared to the previous month, according to the career site "JobTiger".
The company's monthly analysis said this was due almost entirely to increased supply in the Trade and Sales and Hospitality and Restaurant sectors, where offers were a total of 2,200 more than in March.
On a year-over-year basis, there are still fewer job postings compared to the same period in 2023, with about 800 fewer offers, or a 2 percent decline.
Ads in "Trade and Sales" rose by 1,200 (up 12 percent) in April, and in "Hospitality and Restaurant" by 1,025 (up 11 percent), the data show.
An increase in offers is also observed in the sectors "Administrative and service activities" (270 offers more, 5 percent growth), "Logistics and transport" (150 offers more, 3 percent growth) and "Manufacturing" (50 offers more, 1 percent growth).
The number of postings remained unchanged in the Health and Pharmacy, Construction and Accounting, Auditing and Finance sectors, while the Information Technology and Marketing and Advertising sectors reported declines of 4 percent in each sector, or about 40 offers less.
On an annual basis, in recent months there has been a decline in most sectors, in April, however, growth was reported in most sectors, according to "Job Tiger". A decline was observed in the "Manufacturing", "Marketing and Advertising", "Hospitality and Restaurant" and "Information Technology" sectors, and for the first time in the last 12 months the decline in "Information Technology" was below 30 percent.
The analysis of "Job Tiger" shows that traditionally for the season with the largest share of advertisements are the sectors "Trade and Sales" (26 percent) and "Hospitality and Restaurant" (19 percent), these two sectors alone make up almost half (45 percent) of the work offered in the country. They are followed by the sectors "Production" (15 percent), "Administrative and service activities" (11 percent), "Logistics and transport" (10 percent), "Information technologies" (7 percent), "Construction" (5.4 percent), "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" (4.9 percent), "Healthcare and Pharmacy" (4.8 percent), "Marketing and Advertising" (3 percent) and "Art" (1 percent).
A slight increase of 2 percent (100 more offers) is reported in the offers for work from home or remote work, and as a share of the total number of ads, this type of offer occupies 8 percent of the offer in April. The largest number of telework announcements are in "Information Technology" - 49 percent, followed by "Administrative and service activities" (19 percent), outsourcing industry sectors (16 percent) and "Trade and sales" (9 percent).
The analysis also reports a positive trend of job offers in the leading regional cities. In Sofia, the increase in offers is 2 percent, in Plovdiv - 6 percent, Varna - 5 percent, Burgas - 10 percent, Ruse - 5 percent, Stara Zagora - 2 percent. As a share distribution, the job advertisements in Sofia are 40 percent, in Plovdiv - 10 percent, Varna - 10 percent, Burgas - 5 percent, Ruse - 3 percent, Stara Zagora - 3 percent.
08.05.2024
ARE YOU ILLEGALLY FIRED? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
The court decision that entered into force, by which the dismissal of a worker or employee was recognized as illegal and he was restored to the position held before the dismissal, is mandatory for implementation by the employer. When an illegally dismissed employee is reinstated by the court, it is considered that the employment relationship was not terminated. In Art. 5, para. 1 of the Ordinance on the employment record and work experience provides that when the dismissal of the worker or employee is recognized as illegal or the grounds for termination of the employment relationship are rectified, the entry of these circumstances in the employment record is carried out by the employer who terminated the employment relationship. In the case of cancellation of the dismissal by an effective court decision, the oblong stamp and the reason for termination in the relevant column are crossed out in the employment book. Enter the number and date of the decision on the basis of which the correction is made, as well as the date of its entry into force. The correction made is certified by the employer's signature and seal according to Art. 2, para. 5 of the regulation.
According to Art. 354, item 1 of the Labor Code, the time during which the worker or employee was without work due to dismissal, which was recognized as illegal by the competent authorities, is recognized as work experience from the date of dismissal until his reinstatement. When, in the period from the dismissal to the reinstatement, the worker or the employee has in the meantime started another job, for work experience according to the order of Art. 354, item 1 of the Labor Code, only the time during which he was actually unemployed, i.e. from the entire period will be subtracted the time of work under the other employment relationship, which is considered as work experience on a general basis under Art. 351 as working time in an employment relationship.
In Art. 40, para. 4 of the Ordinance on pensions and social security service provided that, for the period after December 31, 2002, if the duration of the social security service for persons working in a labor or official relationship is equal to the duration of the labor or service experience, in the labor or in the service book upon termination of the legal relationship, the following text is entered by the insurer: "The insurance length of service is equal to the credited work (service) length of service." If the specified entry is not made in the employment or service book, the insurance experience is established with a document according to a model approved by the manager of the National Social Security Institute, issued by the insurer.
30.04.2024
IN WHICH CASES CAN WE BE TEMPORARILY REMOVED FROM WORK
According to Art. 199 of the Labor Code, the employer or immediate supervisor may temporarily remove a worker or employee from work in one of the following 2 scenarios:
- the worker appears in a state that does not allow him to perform his work duties (temporary disorder of consciousness, fear in a road accident, depressions)
- uses alcohol or other strong intoxicants during working hours (medicines, drugs, etc.)
The suspension shall continue until the worker or employee regains fitness to perform his assigned work. That is, the assessment of the time of suspension is very subjective and allows for abuse by the employer, especially since while the suspension lasts, the worker or employee does not receive labor remuneration.
The law also provides for compensation in case of temporary suspension from work. A worker or employee who has been unlawfully dismissed from work by the employer or the immediate supervisor is entitled to compensation in the amount of his gross remuneration for the time of the unlawful dismissal. Compensation is owed jointly by the employer and the guilty officials.
In order for there to be a temporary suspension from work pursuant to Art. 199 of the Labor Code, there must be a valid employment relationship between employer and worker/employee. The worker/employee has reported to work in a state that does not allow him to perform his work functions or has used alcohol or another strong intoxicant at his workplace. The employer or immediate supervisor has temporarily removed the worker/employee from his workplace until he regains his fitness to perform his work functions.
Temporary suspension from work is an act of the employer that temporarily suspends the performance of the employment relationship, but without terminating it.
The order under Art. 199 of the Labor Code does not lead to dismissal, as is often wrongly assumed by the worker or employee.
30.04.2024
WHAT ARE THE PERSONNEL THAT WILL BE MOST SOUGHT AFTER IN THE COMING YEARS
The data on what personnel vocational education prepares showed (we wrote about it) that in this academic year the intake of auto technicians and restaurateurs is the largest, and locksmiths and welders are relatively few.
It is interesting to see how vocational education corresponds to the demand in the labor market, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economy. The Employment Agency's workforce needs survey shows short-term and long-term needs for personnel, including those with professional qualifications.
Employers say they plan to hire nearly 270,000 workers in the next 12 months. Among those with vocational education, the highest needs are for machine operators (14.8 thousand), tailors (8.7 thousand), cooks (8.6 thousand) and builders (8.3 thousand). A comparison with the data for vocational education admissions in 2023/2024 shows that there will again be large structural gaps between labor demand and supply. Of the 20 occupations with the greatest shortage for next year, there are no admissions to vocational education at all for three (driver of a public transport vehicle, carer and cashier). In other 12 professions (e.g. locksmith, social assistant, welder) the intake is relatively low - less than 100 people in the country, or less than 0.3% of the total intake. That is, in 15 of the 20 professions with the highest expected demand, the vocational education system currently prepares few or no personnel, the Institute for Market Economy points out.
Among the 20 professions, the proportion of learners over those in demand is only in the preparation of cooks and electricians - they are respectively 3.7% and 2.4% of learners and 3.2% and 1.1% of the market's personnel needs of labor.
The comparison of those who have started their professional education and the long-term needs (in the next 3-5 years), when the newly admitted young people this year will leave the school system and look for work, gives an even better idea of the correspondence between education and the labor market. Obviously, the intake in professions related to informatics (mainly programmers), in technology (technicians of transport equipment and computer systems, electricians) and in personal services (restaurateurs, cooks, hairdressers) is inflated.
According to economists, the high intake for these professions is due to various reasons. In recent years, jobs in informatics have increased sharply, although the share of those employed with acquired professional qualifications is relatively low (below 2%), and the rapid hiring of personnel in this economic activity has subsided. There remains the broader question of whether high school programmers who have opted out of university will be able to develop and add value in the global market for this type of knowledge and skills in the long term. The widespread reception of restaurateurs and chefs is more of a historical nature, but unlike that of agricultural professions, which has been decreasing in recent years, it continues to be relatively high.
The needs for professionals in business management and administration (accountants, economists), in production (industrial technicians, bakers, tailors), in health care (nurses, health assistants, opticians and orthopedic technicians) are much greater than the intake.
These data once again show that there is a gap between vocational education and the needs of the labor market. At the same time, the realization of graduates is not tracked, which in practice prevents the fulfillment of the main goal of vocational education, namely to be a direct link between the educational system and the labor market.
The regional cross-section is also important, especially given that labor mobility in Bulgaria is relatively low. The need for universal application of dual education makes it mandatory, concludes the Institute for Market Economy.
29.04.2024
THERE WILL BE ONE LESS DRIVE IN TEMC FROM JUNE 21
One of the most redundant and criticized rings of the big bureaucracy in the TEMC system is being dropped. As of June 21, the certification in the card file of the expert decisions that have entered into force is canceled, the Ministry of Health announced. These certifications have been replaced by noting the same circumstances in the Electronic Medical Expertise Control System.
Known among patients as the "seal", the certifications were required for decisions marked "entered into force" and "for NEMC" in appealed decisions. Thus, despite the entry into force of a decision, the patient had to wait between 14 and 29 days to certify the decision in the file of the medical examination. Only after this additional seal does it come into force. Fortunately, some services such as the Social Assistance Agency are pushing for the granting of benefits without the stamp of approval, but harassment could not be avoided, although in many cases it is about people with motor and other disabilities.
The changes are part of a large-scale reformatting of the system, with which three governments are engaged - the changes were prepared by the team of the Ministry of Health under the acting minister Asen Medzhidiev, they were accepted by the office of Academician Nikolay Denkov, and now their entry into force will be prepared by the team of the official minister Galya Kondeva.
Another part of the reform also started unexpectedly - the doubling of TEMC commissions. Now their workload is extremely uneven, there is a lack of doctors in a number of areas and the commissions work with enormous delays. With regulatory changes, all state and municipal multi-specialty hospitals were obliged to disclose a territorial expert medical commission. The same requirement was introduced for complex oncology centers. In those of them, which are university hospitals and/or commercial companies with mixed state and municipal participation in the capital, at least two territorial expert medical commissions are created.
The new commissions must be established within one month of the entry into force of the changes. These changes were promulgated on March 19 in the State Gazette and come into force on March 23 regarding the creation of TEMC, the Ministry of Health explains. This means that hospitals must now fulfill their new obligation. Information about the progress of this process changes daily, but by the beginning of the week, the creation of more than 50 new TEMCs had already been agreed upon, the department states. After the creation of the new commissions, a period of two months follows for the training of doctors in the activity of medical expertise, which is carried out by NEMC. Currently, there are 72 active TEMCs in the country.
26.04.2024
THE INTRODUCTION OF MULTI-FUNDS IN PENSION INSURANCE IS UNDER CONSIDERATION
It is believed that the introduction of a multi-fund system in pension insurance will bring a number of benefits, such as greater accumulations in individual accounts and correspondingly larger pensions. However, there is none. Why?
Multifunds are investment portfolios with a different risk profile - conservative, balanced or aggressive, within one pension fund. They differ in the share of stocks versus bonds in the investment portfolio. However, pension companies are currently limited in their investment policy.
"We manage to provide replacement income to our clients between 5-10%, but if we had multi-funds, this replacement income would have been higher, i.e. if people at a younger age had invested more dynamically, in more stocks , now they would have bigger accumulations," said Vladislav Rusev, CEO of a pension insurance company.
The multi-funds will reduce the pressure on the State Social Security and the ever-growing deficit in the first pillar of the pension system, supported by tax funds, the Financial Supervision Commission told BNT. The institution also points out that more flexible pension systems better minimize the risks of various crises in recent years.
"This deficit is the result of a rather serious deformation of the pension model, as a result of political decisions related to a very serious increase in the minimum pension for length of service and age," explained Prof. Lyudmila Vekova, lecturer at Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski".
"What we have seen in countries where there are multi-funds in a year, when here we realize an average of about 10% positive yield, multi-funds in other countries have realized 20 and more percent", said Vladislav Rusev, ch. executive director of a pension insurance company.
For various reasons, draft laws on the introduction of multi-funds in the past did not manage to reach their promulgation in the State Gazette.
"At the moment, the Association of Pension Companies together with the Commission for Financial Supervision is once again preparing a concept for the introduction of multi-funds," Rusev added.
At the earliest in the middle of the year, there will be a ready proposal that must be recognized by the executive power in order to be directed to the National Assembly. In the meantime, the official report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is expected to support the reform.
25.04.2024
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF WORKING FROM HOME?
Hybrid working allows businesses to cut their energy use by a fifth as they replace large city-centre office spaces with smaller, more energy-efficient spaces, including flexible workspaces, according to new research from the IWG.
It surveyed more than 500 leaders and facility managers at businesses that have adopted hybrid work policies.
The results show that the average energy consumption of these companies dropped by 19% after the introduction of hybrid work, which benefits both the environment and the bottom line.
The study, produced for World Earth Day (April 22), reveals significant environmental and economic benefits for businesses moving from expensive city center office space to hybrid working models that use smaller regional offices and co-working buildings in strategic locations near the employees' homes.
Almost half of those surveyed (44%) have reduced their traditional office space by a quarter (25%), resulting in lower energy consumption and operating costs. Another 19% achieved even greater reductions, reducing office space by 26-50%. An impressive 84% say hybrid working has been key to reducing their company's overall energy use and carbon footprint, with an even greater reduction predicted as 79% of businesses say they intend to explore additional avenues for optimizing energy consumption, such as downsizing your existing offices or facilitating access to flexible workspaces.
Smaller regional flexible workspaces boast higher occupancy rates and therefore lower emissions per employee. An earlier IWG survey found that only one in five employees would commute more than 30 minutes daily, while 60% wanted to work within 15 minutes of home.
A previous environmental impact study by the IWG and ARUP found that working closer to home could reduce carbon emissions by up to 70% in Manchester (UK), 87% in Los Angeles (US), 82% in New York and almost 90% in Atlanta, mainly due to reduced emissions from buildings and transportation.
Mark Dixon, CEO of the IWG, said: “The global shift to hybrid working brings not only strong productivity and financial benefits to companies, improvements in the work-life balance of employees, but also significant environmental benefits. This latest research confirms that businesses that have adopted the hybrid model have already significantly reduced their energy consumption."
"The environmental benefits of the hybrid operating model do not end there. By enabling people to work close to home and allowing them to split their time between their local workplace and where they live, earlier ARUP research shows this model has the potential to reduce an employee's work-related carbon emissions by 90%", he adds.
