07.07.2022
JOB POSTINGS DROP AT THE END OF JUNE
For the first time this year, at the end of June, there was an 8 percent drop in job advertisements on the leading websites in the country. This is shown by the monthly analysis of the HR company and career site "JobTiger".
Since the beginning of the year, the number of advertisements has been constantly increasing, but in the past month we reported nearly 5,000 offers less than in May, the company announced.
However, according to experts, this is not a cause for concern, because we are in the holiday summer months, when the supply and demand for work are traditionally in smaller volumes.
The number of active offers at the end of June is just over 52,000 and is 4 percent more than the same period in 2021.
A decline in listings is observed in almost all sectors. The exceptions are "Healthcare and Pharmacy" and "Construction", in which advertisements have increased by 16 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
A major reason for the higher number of advertisements in the health sector is the availability of medical staff offers for positions abroad.
After the constant growth of offers over the past 4 months in the "Hospitality and restaurant" sector, in June they start to decrease. This is the sector with the largest drop in advertisements of as much as 22 percent, followed by the "Trade and Sales" sector with a drop of 11 percent, the company also reports.
There is a smaller number of advertisements in the sectors "Marketing and advertising" (-9 percent), "Accounting, audit, finance" (-8.7 percent), IT (-6 percent), "Administrative and service activities " (3.2 percent), "Logistics and transport" (-3 percent) and "Production" (-0.5 percent).
Share distribution
In terms of share distribution of advertisements, the "Trade and Sales" sector is in first place with a 21 percent share, followed by the "Hospitality and Restaurant" sectors (17 percent), "Manufacturing" (15 percent), IT (13 percent).
They are followed by the sectors "Administrative and service activities" (10 percent), "Logistics and transport" (9 percent), "Construction" (5 percent), "Accounting, audit, finance" (4.4 percent ), "Healthcare and Pharmacy" (3.9 percent), "Marketing and Advertising" (3 percent) and "Art" (1 percent).
Work from home
According to the analysis, the number of offers for work from home and/or remote work at the end of June decreased by 8 percent compared to May. They are just over 5,500 for the country or 12.4 percent of the total number of advertisements.
Half of these offers (50 percent) are in the "IT" sector, followed by "Administrative and service activities" (15 percent), the outsourcing (BPO) industry sectors (14 percent) and "Trade and sales" (4 per hundred).
Offer by cities
The number of advertisements in the leading regional cities also decreased by 8 percent in the month of June. There is a decrease in advertisements in every regional city: Sofia (-6 percent), Plovdiv (-9 percent), Varna (-9 percent), Burgas (-15 percent), Ruse (-6 percent) and Stara Zagora (-11 percent).
As a share distribution, the proposals in the leading regional cities occupy 72 percent of all advertisements. The distribution in each of these cities is as follows: Sofia (44 percent), Plovdiv (10 percent), Varna (9 percent), Burgas (4 percent), Ruse (3 percent) and Stara Zagora (2 percent).
Ads suitable for refugees
The number of refugee-friendly job adverts in June was just over 2,900 (7 per cent of all adverts), down 8 per cent on the previous month. One third of these offers are in the "Hospitality and Restaurant" sector (30 percent), with the majority also in the "Trade and Sales" (18 percent), "Manufacturing" (15 percent) and "IT" sectors (13 percent).
07.07.2022
THE MEASURES UNDER THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (2021-2027) FOR THE DESEGREGATION OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS WERE PRESENTED
Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Ivan Krastev presented the measures under the Human Resources Development Program (2021-2027) for the desegregation of marginalized groups. He participated in a National Conference on the topic "State of Roma educational integration: from segregation to education in an ethnically mixed environment", organized by the Center for Inter-Ethnic Dialogue and Tolerance "Amalipe". "In order to stop educational segregation and all the lasting negative consequences it creates, we must work not only with the children, but also with their parents, not only with the minority, but also with the majority," commented Krastev. According to him, we should all look for common solutions together, because segregation is not only a problem for the Roma, but for society as a whole.
"The new Human Resources Development Program will have an impressive resource with which we will support the labor market, and a large part of the social inclusion measures will be integrated health and social services, with which we aim to cover people from vulnerable groups in the small settlements", said Krastev. It is expected that over 95,000 people of Roma origin will receive support in all PRHR measures at the national level. In the next program period, the "Integrated Territorial Investments" approach will be implemented, according to which targeted funds will be allocated for each area for measures related to employment, equal opportunities and integration according to the needs of the area. For the period 2021-2027, 94.2 million euros will be allocated from the PRDP, from which all regional and municipal administrations will be able to benefit, the deputy minister specified. At least 50,000 people from the Roma community are expected to be covered by these measures.
Deputy Minister Krastev also presented the possibilities under the European Child Guarantee, which in Bulgaria will be implemented by the "Human Resources Development" Program and the "Education" Program. "In the next program period, integrated actions will be taken to guarantee children's rights - access to quality healthcare, education, proper nutrition, housing, social and other services depending on the needs of the child and the family," said Krastev. The PRDP measures that will receive support are aimed at social inclusion, tackling child poverty and access to health services for children. The measures under the Education Program are related to access to preschool and school education and support for healthy lifestyle programs.
One of the measures approved at the last meeting of the Oversight Committee of the OPRCHR is Operation "Future for Children" with a budget of BGN 81.2 million. The main activities that will be financed are services for early childhood development, integrated health and social services, prevention for better health care of children, their parents and extended family, patronage care for children from 0 to 3 years, which also includes care for pregnant women and women in labor. Under the "Future for Children" measure, all accompanying activities aimed at the realization of parents in the labor market will be supported, such as ensuring access to the labor market, counseling and employment mediation, subsidizing jobs for inactive and unemployed persons. The operation is expected to reach over 40,000 children up to the age of 18, with 5,000 of them expected to be from highly marginalized communities. "If the success we are reporting so far with the pilot project in the districts of Stara Zagora, Sliven and Burgas is multiplied, the funds can easily be increased significantly," stressed the Deputy Minister.
07.07.2022
IN WHICH PROFESSIONS ARE THE MOST PEOPLE EMPLOYED
The occupation that reported the largest increase in the number of employees in the first quarter of this year compared to the same in 2021 was food preparation assistants. The increase is 25.1% or from almost 1.1 to almost 1.4 million people in the EU working in this profession. This is shown by Eurostat data on the top 10 growing professions.
The second largest increase, at 15.6%, was in the personal service workers group, which refers to attendants, conductors, guides, cooks, waiters and bartenders, hairdressers, beauticians, and construction and housekeeping supervisors. In the first quarter of 2022, this occupational group had 7.6 million workers.
Information and communication technology professionals came in third with a 9.6% year-over-year increase. Between those two quarters, that group (which refers to software and application developers and database and network analysts and professionals) grew from 4.1 to 4.5 million people.
There are two occupational groups with a 9% increase in the number of workers: legal, social, cultural and related associated professionals (+9.4%), and managers in tourism, retail and other services (+9.1%) ). In the first quarter of 2022, these groups numbered 3.5 and 2.4 million workers, respectively.
Next in the list of leading occupations with the sharpest percentage increase in the number of employed persons are business and administration professionals (+7.4%), craftsmen and printers (+6.7%), information and communication technicians (+5, 9%), science and engineering professionals (+5.7%) and production and specialized services managers (+5.3%).
In contrast, workers in agriculture, forestry and fisheries recorded the most significant decrease in the EU – by -12.6%.
07.07.2022
THE SOCIAL PROTECTION FUND FINANCES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BULGARIAN SPEECH SYNTHESIZER FOR PEOPLE WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS
The "Social Protection" Fund of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy supported with BGN 364,800 a project for "Development of a Bulgarian speech synthesizer for the needs of people with visual impairments" of the Association "Union of the Blind in Bulgaria". Its total budget is BGN 384,000, and the Association's own contribution is BGN 19,200. It is expected that the synthesizer will help more than 4,000 people with visual impairments throughout Bulgaria. It was implemented with the help of the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies at the BAS.
The speech synthesizer speaks text fed to it with a computer-generated voice. Its use creates opportunities to increase the education and knowledge of people with visual impairments and promotes their social inclusion and employment. The last Bulgarian-speaking synthesizer was created in 2004 and no longer meets the level of technology development in this field.
"The implementation of the project is a successful example of a partnership between a state institution, a nationally representative organization and the scientific community. It incorporates the latest achievements of science in the field," said Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Lazar Lazarov at the presentation of the synthesizer. He emphasized the National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability, pointing out that BGN 24 million has been set aside in it to support more than 3,300 people with permanent disabilities through the use of technologies to improve their lives.
"The Social Protection Fund proves once again that it aims to promote innovative projects that support a wide range of people," said the executive director of the fund, Marina Saradinova.
30.06.2022
HOW TO GET AID FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FROM JULY 1?
From July 1, 2022, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will negotiate, grant, pay and control aids, devices, equipment, medical devices (ADEMD) and repair activities, as the next step for the smooth passage of the process by the Agency for Social assistance (ASA) to the fund. Therefore, the NHIF issued explanations about the changes and useful information for consumers:
What are the advantages:
Save time:
You visit Medical Advisory Commission MAC/Territorial Expert Medical Commission TEMC/National Expert Medical Commission NEMC, where you will be issued an electronic protocol/decision for an aid, device, facility or medical device. On the spot you will have the opportunity to submit an application to the Regional health insurance fund (RHIF) and the NHIF, which will be sent electronically by MAC/TEMC/NEMC to the institution;
You receive a notification from the RHIF/NHIF for an approved approval for the provision of ADEMD by e-mail and/or by telephone, without visiting the RHIF offices.
You have the freedom to choose:
You can receive or repair your aid, device, equipment or medical device throughout the country from any retailer who has a contract with RHIF.
What to do if you are a person with a disability and need an aid, device, equipment or medical device (ADEMD):
To visit MAC/TEMC/NEMC, from where you will be issued an electronic protocol/decision for prescribing ADEMD;
To the protocol/decision to fill in on the spot an electronic application for consent with the prescribed ADEMD and the need to provide them. The application can also be submitted by a person authorized by you;
NHIF/RHIF expert commissions will review your electronic application and issue an approval or a motivated refusal;
Each approval will contain information about you or the person authorized by you, if the application is submitted by him. The approval will have a registration number and date of issue. It will include ADEMD with their NHIF codes;
You or the person authorized by you will be informed of the approval or the motivated refusal by a written message to the e-mail and/or by telephone specified by you. You do not need to visit an RHIF office;
You will receive your ADEMD from any retailer who has entered into a contract with RHIF, without territorial restriction – i.e., wherever it is convenient for you, in the country. For this purpose, you must identify yourself to the trader of your choice through an identifier – PIN or personal number of a foreigner, names, number and date of approval for granting ADEMD.
You should also know:
Applications for granting ADEMD of a total value of up to BGN 1,000 are considered by the RHIF.
Applications for granting ADEMD for a total value equal to or higher than BGN 1,000 are considered by the NHIF.
The prescribing of ADEMD is carried out according to the specification of the National Health Insurance Fund with a code, without specifying specific trade names or companies.
It is possible to submit applications for granting ADEMD on paper to the RHIF only when the application cannot be submitted electronically by MAC/TEMC/NEMC due to technical reasons.
If your aid, device, appliance or medical device needs repair:
You or a person authorized by you must submit an application for repair work (according to a sample) to the director of the RHIF. You can also send the application by letter with a notice of delivery (return receipt) through a licensed postal operator;
An expert commission in the RHIF reviews and approves the applications;
The director of the RHIF issues an approval for the provision of PPSMI or a motivated refusal. A motivated refusal is issued in case of non-compliance with the conditions specified in the list-specification with ADEMD, which is published on the NHIF website;
Retailers who have a contract with RHIF are obliged to provide repair work to ADEMD. For this purpose, you or a person authorized by you must identify yourself to the trader of your choice through an identifier – PIN or personal number of a foreigner, names, number and date of approval for granting ADEMD. According to set criteria, the trader notes in the specialized software product the provided repair activity.
Proceedings for the provision of ADEMD and repair works have started and are not completed until June 30, 2022.
Proceedings initiated and not completed by June 30, 2022 for the provision of ADEMD, including their payments, are carried out in the current order by the ASA;
If as of July 1, 2022 you have a document issued by MAC/TEMC/NEMC, which does not determine ADEMD according to the approved specification, you can receive your aid, device, equipment or medical device after their individual determination by MAC/TEMC/NEMC, as you need to submit an electronic application.
30.06.2022
SOCIAL SECURITY FOR SOLE PROPRIETOR (SP)
A sole trader, also called a sole proprietor, is a physically capable person who represents his business. This is also the reason why many sole traders use their own names as the company name.
What happens to social security when a sole trader suspends his activity and what should he do to stop his insurance?
Sole proprietors are compulsorily insured for invalidity due to general illness, old age and death for the time during which they exercise in this capacity.
The principle of insurance only for the periods during which employment is exercised is laid down in the Social Security Code, on the basis of which insurance arises from the day on which persons start employment and for which insurance contributions have been paid or are due, and continues until the cessation of this activity.
If the trader intends to temporarily suspend his activity and in connection with the above the grounds for payment of social security contributions shall cease to exist.
According to the law, upon commencement, interruption, resumption or termination of any employment, the self-employed person submits a declaration in an approved form by the Executive Director of the National Revenue Agency (NRA) to the competent territorial directorate of the NRA, signed by the self-employed person. day term from the occurrence of the circumstance.
In order to declare an interruption of his insurance, the sole trader must submit to the competent territorial directorate of the NRA a completed Declaration for registration of a self-insured person. That declaration shall state the date on which it ceases to operate.
The interruption of the insurance by the self-insured person of a sole trader also interrupts his insurance length of service.
When resuming his activity, the sole trader should also state the date on which he starts working. This is done again with the submission of a Declaration for registration of a self-insured person. It is important to note that if the insurance is resumed in the same calendar year, the trader cannot change the type of insurance and must pay insurance contributions for the social risks selected before the interruption. Social security contributions are also paid for the same risks when the activity is resumed in the next calendar year, if this has not been declared within the respective term.
Change of the selected social risks can be done only in the period from 01.01. to 31.01. of each calendar year.
Reference:
Art. 1, para. 2 of the Ordinance on the social security of self-insured persons, Bulgarian citizens working abroad and seafarers.
Art. 4, para. 3, item 2 of the Social Security Code
Art. 10 SSC
30.06.2022
18% OF UNEMPLOYED WOMEN IN BULGARIA HAVE NOT LOOKED FOR WORK AT ALL IN 2021
The proportion of women aged 25-54 in the European Union who did not look for work at all, compared to all unemployed women, was higher (18.5 percent) than that of men (8.2 percent) in the same age group in 2021, informs Eurostat.
The EU's statistical office reports a significant difference in the reasons why unemployed women and men between the ages of 25 and 54 did not look for work.
The share of women who did not try to find a job due to the need to care for a loved one (5.7 percent) or for other family reasons (2.9 percent) was significantly higher than that of men. A total of 0.5 percent of them did not look for work in 2021 due to the above reasons.
In half of the EU countries, the proportion of women between the ages of 25 and 54 who emphasized the need to care for a loved one was over 5% of all unemployed women who did not look for work at all. The largest number of these women was in 2021 in the Czech Republic (12.8 percent). Romania (11.0 percent) and Ireland (8.2 percent) follow. The EU countries with the fewest unemployed women who did not look for work due to the need to care for a loved one were Denmark (0.9 percent), Sweden (1.5 percent) and Slovenia (1.8 percent).
In Bulgaria, the share of these women in 2021 was 5.4 percent. Ladies between the ages of 25 and 54 who did not look for work at all accounted for 18.8 percent of all unemployed women. For men, this percentage was 11.2.
In only one EU country, the total proportion of men who did not try to find a job because of the need to care for a loved one or for other family reasons was over 1 percent - Ireland (1.1 percent). In Bulgaria, these men were 1 percent of the unemployed gentlemen between the ages of 25 and 54 who did not look for work at all.
15.06.2022
HOW IS THE LIQUIDATION OF A COMPANY CARRIED OUT?
A company can be terminated for many different reasons. This can happen, for example, when it is declared bankrupt. Or by court decision in strictly defined by law cases. Termination may be on different grounds, depending on the type of company. For example, a limited liability company may be terminated due to the expiration of the company contract, by decision of the partners, taken by a majority of 3/4 of the capital, in case of merger and acquisition. A sole proprietorship Ltd. is terminated with the death of a natural person, if he owns the capital, unless the heirs want to continue the activity. A joint-stock company is terminated by a decision of the general meeting, by a court decision, if it does illegal things, if the net value of the company's property falls below the amount of the subscribed capital, etc.
Here again, it is important to note that after the dissolution of the company in question, liquidation must take place.
According to the Commercial Act (CA), the term in which the liquidation must be completed is determined by the general meeting of the limited liability company and the joint stock company, and for other companies - by unanimous decision of the general partners. Such a term shall also be determined by the registration official at the Registry Agency when he appoints liquidators. If necessary, the specified period may be extended. The liquidators shall be entered in the commercial register, where notarized consents with samples of their signatures shall be submitted. They have the same responsibility for their liquidation activities as the managers and other executive bodies of the companies.
The liquidators are obliged, by announcing the termination of the company, to invite its creditors to present their claims. The invitation is sent in writing to the known creditors and is announced in the commercial register. The liquidators are obliged to notify the National Revenue Agency of the commencement of the liquidation.
The CA also obliges them to complete current transactions, collect receivables, turn the remaining assets into money and satisfy creditors. They may enter into new transactions only if required by the liquidation.
The liquidators may, in agreement with the partners, respectively with the shareholders and creditors, transfer to them individual objects of the liquidation property, provided that this does not infringe the rights of the other partners and creditors. The CA explicitly states that the liquidator is obliged to exercise his powers with the care of a good trader.
It is important to note that they represent the company and have the rights and obligations of its executive body. They compile a balance sheet at the time of the dissolution of the company and a report that clarifies the balance sheet. At the end of each year, they carry out an annual closure and submit an annual financial report and an annual report on their activities to the governing body. The governing body shall decide on the adoption of the opening balance sheet, the annual closure and the discharge of the liquidators.
The property that remains after the satisfaction of the creditors is distributed among the partners, respectively among the shareholders. However, this distribution takes place only if six months have elapsed since the day on which the invitation to creditors was published in the commercial register. The governing body of the company may, after satisfying the creditors, write off the receivables of the company, which are uncollectible. The decision shall be taken by a simple majority.
When all obligations are settled and the rest of the property is distributed, the liquidators want to delete the company. If it is later determined that further liquidation actions are required, the Registrar of the Registry Agency shall, at the request of the person concerned, appoint the current or other liquidators.
15.06.2022
PROHIBITION OF COMPETITIVE ACTIVITY
Expert comment
A non-compete clause as part of an employment contract or bond agreement is a common way to protect the interests of an economically stronger country, whether it is an employer or a company investor. The possibilities for including such clauses, their validity and manner of implementation depend on the nature of the contractual relationship between the parties. Most often, these clauses are guaranteed by penalties agreed in the contracts, the validity of which is also the subject of further investigation, but very often their very presence deters the other party from engaging in competitive activities.
The prohibition of competitive activity can be considered in general in the following areas:
Prohibition to perform competitive activity under employment contract:
Until 1998, the Law on Protection of Competition stipulated a hypothesis according to which a person who is in an employment relationship may not engage in competitive economic activity for a period of three years after the termination of the employment contract. With the repeal of this provision, this legal restriction for employees has also been lifted. The fact that there has been no such legal restriction option for many years does not deter employers from including such clauses in their employees' employment contracts.
According to the constant practice of the courts, the right to work and the exercise of a profession is imperatively guaranteed by Art. 48, para. 3 of the Constitution and such a restriction of this constitutionally regulated right could not be the subject of a bond transaction. Therefore, the stipulation, which restricts the performance of competitive activity by employees for a period after the termination of their employment contract, in the first place violates the constitutionally recognized right to work. Next, the employer has no right to prohibit its employees who specialize in a field from practicing their profession after the termination of their employment, as this would mean restricting their right to stay in employment. future, which is why such a clause is inherently void.
It should be noted that in Art. 111 of the Labor Code provides for the possibility of performing work outside the working hours established in the employment contract under the main employment contract, but only if this possibility is not limited by the employer within the employment contract. It is in the analysis of this provision that it is necessary to conclude that in the employment contract it is possible to provide for a ban on the performance of competitive activity by the employee, but within the term of the employment relationship.
Prohibition of competitive activity by managers of commercial companies and by partners in a limited liability company (Ltd.):
The Commercial Law explicitly regulates in Art. 41, para. 2, art. 142, para. 1, item 1 and in Art. 237, para. 4 prohibition to carry out competitive activity by a certain category of persons in order to preserve the interests of the traders, which these entities represent, manage or control by virtue of a contract or law. The scope of the ban includes: sales representatives, managers of limited liability companies, as well as members of the board of directors and the management board of companies. It should be noted that this legal prohibition is temporary only while the persons are performing the respective position, and not after the termination of the contractual relationship.
Contrary to the above hypotheses, the Commercial Law does not provide for a ban on the performance of competitive activities by partners in limited liability companies by the managing companies. In practice, however, such restrictions are negotiated in additional agreements between investors and partners, insofar as there is no overriding prohibition in this regard. The fulfillment of the obligations under such agreements may be secured by penalties for non-fulfillment of the obligation for non-performance of competitive activity by the manager and partner, both while holding this position and for a period after termination of participation in the company.
In challenging the validity of such clauses for penalties in court, the courts until recently took a rather conservative approach, assuming that the right under Art. 48, para 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria that every citizen can freely choose his profession and place of work, cannot be subject to actual refusal or restriction, expressed in a private law agreement, incl. as an employment contract clause, resp. an agreement on the basis of which they have declared the nullity of the penalty for non-compliance with a restriction on competition.
The new practice of the Supreme Court of Cassation from 2020 broke this understanding by accepting that the constitutionally enshrined right of a person to freely choose his profession and place of work is not violated by an agreement between the parties banning competition for a period of one year.
The Court held that the obligation not to compete for a period of one year did not restrict a person's right to work in an undertaking with similar activities, nor to be a manager of companies operating other than those of the company in which was a manager or partner. The position of the manager or partner in a company is not analogous to that of an employee holding a certain position and performing work in fulfillment of an employment contract concluded with the employer.
The new case law opens new opportunities to protect the interests of investors in companies. In this way, they can protect their investment and limit the unscrupulous actions of managers and partners. The assumption of a contractual obligation for non-performance of competitive activity by the manager or the partner is in itself an obligation for inaction for a specific period. The purpose of the commitment is to ensure the preservation of customers and developed markets, as well as the preservation of production and trade secrets of the company managed so far by the manager/partner. In these cases, the penalty agreed in the contracts has an enhanced security function, i.e. it aims to prevent the former partner and/or manager from competing to ensure that the company he has managed retains customers, as well as commercial and production secrets.
The scarce legal framework related to the restriction on the performance of competitive activity presupposes the settlement of the disputable issues through their interpretation by the court. We advise you to consult legal experts in each case, both the possibility of including such clauses in contracts and agreements, and their content, so that they can be maximized and ensure their effective implementation, regardless of voluntary or compulsory order.
15.06.2022
THE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY ANNOUNCED WHAT KIND OF STAFF THE COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR
The number of employers who intend to look for new staff in the next 6 months is increasing. This is indicated by the first for 2022 study of the needs of employers for labor force of the Employment Agency, which was conducted in the period February - March this year. The survey is organized jointly with the Employment Commissions of the Regional Development Councils in the 28 districts in the country. It is nationally representative and was conducted through surveys among a statistical sample of employers representing 378,752 active enterprises in the country.
The results of the survey show that 60,842 companies will be looking for new staff in the next 6 months. Compared to the poll in February-March 2021, their number increased by 2,620 or 4.5%. The business states the need for 239,339 workers and specialists with skills in various professional fields.
Over the next 12 months, employers will be looking for 128,789 specialists with a qualification acquired in the system of secondary vocational education and vocational training. The most sought after will be a waiter-bartender, cook, machine operator, tailor, builder, builder-assembler, welder, operational accountant, electrician, cashier and others.
The Bulgarian business will need another 62,905 specialists with legal capacity or higher education. Among them, the most sought after are drivers, nurses, teachers and doctors. Compared to the previous year, the number of sought-after graduates increased by 6,300 or 11.1%. The survey shows that 47,645 non-skilled workers will be needed in various sectors of the economy over the next 12 months. Compared to a year earlier, their number decreased by 8,100 or 14.5%.
70.7% of employers in the country face difficulties in securing staff. On an annual basis, their share increased by 2.3 percentage points. Employers face the most serious difficulties in finding sales consultants, cooks, tailors, machine operators, programmers. For comparison, a year ago there was the greatest shortage of machine operators, operational accountants, assistant educators, welders and electricians.
A new wave of COVID-19 will affect employers, according to a study by the Employment Agency. 19.4% of those who intended to hire staff will stop the demand altogether, or 11,800 companies. The strongest negative impact on the intention to hire new staff in a new pandemic will be felt in the sectors of trade, hotels and restaurants, where 1/3 of companies will refuse to look for staff. However, 50.5% of them, or more than half, will not be affected by the emergence of a new COVID-19 wave - that's nearly 31,000 companies.
When new restrictive measures are introduced for businesses, the low-skilled workers will be the most affected. In such a scenario, employers are expected to abandon their plans to hire just over 10,000 workers with such qualifications. Nearly 5,000 jobs for qualified specialists with secondary and higher education will also remain undeclared in the presence of a new pandemic wave.
The most preferred form of state support for maintaining employment among employers in COVID-19 restrictive measures remains "80 out of 20" - expressed in 33.7% of respondents, followed by "60 out of 40" - in 14.5% of cases. Only 3.4% of employers who intend to hire staff will give up this intention, regardless of what state aid is offered to them.
According to the study in the medium term, i.e. in the next 3 to 5 years, the required specialists with higher education will be 173,784 people or 7.6% of employees in employment at the end of March 2022. The three most popular professional fields will be Pedagogy, Economics and Electrical Engineering, electronics and automation. Over the next 3 to 5 years, Bulgarian business will need 208,964 specialists with secondary education. Compared to February 2021, demand decreased by nearly 33,500 or 13.8%. The most needed will be specialists in wholesale and retail trade, construction, production technologies - textiles, clothing, footwear and leather, mechanical engineering, metalworking and metallurgy and others.
Sofia-city remains the area where most workers and specialists are expected to be hired - 67,064, which is 28% of all stated needs in the country. In 12 districts, employers said they would need more staff than a year earlier. These are the districts of Sofia-city, Varna, Dobrich, Sofia district, Ruse and Pleven and others. The lowest demand is in Burgas, Plovdiv, Targovishte, Haskovo and Lovech and others.
The study of the needs of employers covers proportionally enterprises with different numbers - from micro-enterprises with less than 10 employees to large enterprises with over 250 people. According to the economic activity, the largest share of the surveyed enterprises is in the sector "Trade, transport, hotels and restaurants" (34.3%), followed by the enterprises in the sector "General government, education, humanitarian health" with 16.1% representativeness, and in third place is the industry sector with 14.4%.
The Labor Force Needs Survey is conducted by the Employment Agency twice a year in order to collect and analyze up-to-date information on the professions, competencies, knowledge and skills of the employees sought by employers and to plan measures for organizing their professional training.
