09.03.2022
PROCEDURE FOR DECLARING EMPLOYMENT OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES
Necessary documents and requirements to them
The documents for declaring employment are specified in Art. 36, para. 2 of the Regulations for implementation of the Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act. They are submitted by the employer to the Directorate "Labor Office" at the place of work.
Necessary documents for employment declaration:
The declaration is submitted in 2 copies in the original, with described attached documents, signature and seal of the employer. On the back there is a list of foreigners, with names in Bulgarian and Latin, date of birth, № passport, position and duration of employment (from ... to ...).
The beginning of employment is before the submission of the declaration by the employer. The duration of employment is in line with the period of validity of the residence document of the third-country national worker.
Procedural sequence
The declaration of employment is made by the employer within 7 days from the beginning of employment and is confirmed by certification of the declaration with an incoming № of the Directorate "Labor Office", and the importer is returned a certified copy.
In case the worker-citizen of a third country is issued a document for long-term residence with a new term of validity, the procedure is repeated until obtaining a permit for permanent residence of the foreigner in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Within 7 days from the actual commencement of work of foreigners, employers are obliged to notify the relevant territorial directorate of the Executive Agency GLI by filling out special forms, published on the official website of the Executive Agency GLI http://www.gli.government.bg/page.php?c=66.
EA "General Labor Inspectorate" carries out specialized control activities in connection with the employment of foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, within which the control authorities have the right to visit all sites where work is carried out, as well as to require personal documents, including from foreigners residing and working there.
How to start refugees from Ukraine to work in Bulgaria
Above all, the citizen of Ukraine should acquire refugee status. To this end, he must be registered as a candidate for this status by the staff of the Refugee Agency. To date, the State Agency for Refugees has organized mobile centers for Ukrainian citizens at border crossings with Romania.
Upon registration, the Ukrainian citizen must submit all national documents in his possession. Instead, after registration, the applicant for protection receives from the Agency a document called a "Registration Card" with which he can exercise his rights as a refugee during the administrative process of issuing a permanent document for refugee status.
Issuance of the registration card is free!
The registration card has the following dаta:
The map also states:
If the applicant wishes to change his/her address, he/she must first seek permission from the Refugee Agency, which must write the new address on the card in order to avoid problems during a possible police check.
Having already this document proving their refugee status (or that they are in the process of issuing one), the foreigner acquires the rights and obligations of a Bulgarian citizen.
This means that when granting refugee status, foreigners are entitled to:
However, the law also provides for some restrictions. Refugees with status are not entitled to:
The rights of recognized refugees may be subject to other restrictions if explicitly provided for by law.
After performing these procedures, Ukrainian citizens can apply and be employed as employees of the procedures applicable to every Bulgarian citizen. The only additional requirement is for the employer who hired them - to declare the employment of Ukrainians enjoying rights under the Asylum and Refugees Act in the Directorate "Labor Office" at work (see the procedure above).
Which of the foreigner's family can start working in Bulgaria:
Those whom the law also considers refugees. Refugees are considered to be the spouse of a foreigner with granted refugee status and their minor children who have not been married. These family members of an alien who has been granted refugee status enjoy the same rights (including the right to work without special permission), but only if it is compatible with their personal status. For example, if they do not have another type of legal residence permit in Bulgaria or in another country.
The family members of the recognized refugee may not exercise his/her rights even if there are circumstances for them to terminate or revoke the status. For example, if they committed a serious crime of a non-political nature before coming to Bulgaria, or if after obtaining the status they obtained a new passport from their country of origin.
When an alien with granted refugee status enters into marriage after receiving the status, the spouse, if a foreigner, may obtain refugee status only on his or her own grounds due to fears of persecution.
If the Ukrainian citizen does not have refugee status, the following procedures apply:
Citizens of Ukraine can gain access to the Bulgarian labor market in order to work under the following simplified procedures:
The employment of people who have the necessary documents certifying Bulgarian origin is regulated by registration with the Employment Agency. They must also have an employment contract with a local employer for a period of at least 6 months.
Ukrainian citizens have the right to seasonal work of up to 90 days in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, hotels and restaurants in Bulgaria without interruption for 12 months. For this purpose, registration with the Employment Agency is required on the basis of a declaration submitted by the employer.
08.03.2022
IN WHICH SECTORS ARE THEY LOOKING TO HIRE PEOPLE?
The number of job advertisements in February continues to grow, according to a monthly analysis of a job placement platform. Proposals have increased by 9% compared to January, and on an annual basis the growth is 50%.
The trend is positive in almost all sectors. The highest growth of ads in February was the sector "Hotels and restaurants" with 60%. It is followed by the sectors "Logistics and Transport" (40%) and "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" (14%).
In the other sectors the growth of the number of advertisements is: "Marketing and advertising" (5.6%), "Production" (5%), "IT" (4%), "Administrative and service activities" (2.4%) , Trade and Sales (2%), Health and Pharmacy (1%).
Almost unchanged, with a very slight decline in proposals, remains the construction sector, where ads fell by 0.2%.
Share distribution
The Trade and Sales and IT sectors maintain their leading positions in the number of proposals with shares of 19% and 15.7%, respectively.
Already in the previous month there was a growth of 72% in the hotel and restaurant sector. With the current increase, the share of ads in the sector increased to 15.6% and from the previous fifth place it already ranks third in terms of share of the total number of ads and almost equalizes that of the IT sector.
They are followed by the sectors: "Production" (15%), "Administrative and service activities" (10%), "Logistics and Transport" (8%), "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" (5%), Construction (4.9%), Health and Pharmacy (3.9%), Marketing and Advertising (3.5%) and Art (1%).
Work from home
Proposals for work from home and / or telecommuting showed a slight decrease of 3% or nearly 200 proposals less than in January. The total share of these ads is 13.2% of all job postings or nearly 6250 offers. Compared to the sectors that provide this type of work, these proposals are divided into the following ratio "IT" (63%), followed by "Administrative and service activities" (16%) and the outsourcing (BPO) industry (16%) and Trade and Sales (5%).
Ads with a requirement to have a green certificate
Proposals requiring a green certificate (certifying a completed cycle of vaccination against COVID-19 or its disease) were also reduced in February. Their number is nearly 150 and is equal to only 0.3% of all ads.
Supply by cities
The number of ads for the city of Sofia has decreased by 2%, and in the other leading regional cities we see an increase. They have increased as follows: Plovdiv (5%), Varna (22%), Burgas (18%), Ruse (4%) and Stara Zagora (5%).
The main factor for the tangible increase in advertisements in Varna and Burgas is again the increased demand for staff in the hotel and restaurant sector.
As a share distribution, the proposals in the leading regional cities occupy 79% of all announcements.
07.03.2022
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: 4 BUSINESS IDEAS FOR THE CREATIVE AMONG YOU
Creativity is a great quality for any entrepreneur, because it can help him solve the constant problems in business.
But it can also be used as a source of business ideas. Here are 4 examples:
Given how much time we spend at home, especially in the last two years, beautiful furniture is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, if you are interested in interior design and have the necessary knowledge in the field, advising your clients on how to arrange their home comfortably and pleasantly is the right idea for you. It would be even more appropriate if you like to communicate, because you will need to get to know your users in order to offer them furniture styles adapted to their characters and needs.
As you know, this is a business with wide applicability. Advertising materials, logos, posters, flyers, book covers, catalogs and what not are all things you can offer to your customers. The best thing here is that you can grow the business from your own home, and what you need are generally a computer and the right software.
For those who are literary-oriented, writing and publishing textual content is a good opportunity to take advantage of your talent. You can offer preparation of advertising texts, proofreading and editing services, translation services, if you have competencies in a foreign language, to write articles on various topics, etc. You can develop a similar activity as a freelancer.
If you know how to play an instrument, you can offer your services as a musician when recording songs for different purposes. You can also offer lessons for beginners and advanced. If you compose music, the option for you is to submit your works for use to audio and video advertising. For example, advertising agencies that need background melodies may be interested in them. Similar compositions are also available on various sites from which customers can purchase them, where you can also offer your recordings.
07.03.2022
HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY WHEN WORKING FROM HOME
It's one thing to work from the office, it's another to do it from home. The distractions in both places are different and depending on your attitude to your home can have a negative impact on your performance.
What you can do to handle more tasks in less time, even when working from home:
If you haven't done so before, find a place to do your homework. Separate it as much as possible from the places in your home where you do your homework or rest. Provide a calm environment that will help you focus. It does not have to be a separate room, you can safely put a desk in the living room, which turns its back on the TV, put everything you need for your work there and get down to business. The important thing here is that this place is set aside only for official activities.
At the beginning of the working day, prepare a list of things you need to do. Prioritize those tasks that are most important and perform them at the time of the day when you feel most focused and productive. Work on your tasks separately, one by one, and move on to the next one only after completing the current one. This will save you time from reconfiguration.
If the computer you are working with is slow and crashes frequently, you cannot complete your tasks quickly. If the software you use keeps getting errors, you will also waste time. The same is true if your internet connection is bad. Take a look at everything that affects the performance of your tasks, and work with your troubleshooting guide to reduce uptime.
In the beginning, it may be difficult for you to follow the same mode of operation. However, it will help you work more organized. This is not about being bored. This is about implementing the necessary measures that will ensure your productivity on a regular basis. The lists listed in item 2 can easily enter your routine. It can include setting specific times of the day when you will read and reply to emails, for example. Think about what takes your time and disrupts your concentration, but it needs to be done, and set a schedule for it.
04.03.2022
HOW MUCH WILL THE UNEMPLOYED PAY FOR THE HEALTH CONTRIBUTION FROM APRIL 1?
From 1 April 2022, people who pay their compulsory health contributions themselves (for example, the long-term unemployed who do not receive unemployment benefits and are not insured by the state, etc.) and are not registered as self-insured within the meaning of the Social Security Code , owe BGN 28.40 per month.
From the first day of April this year, the minimum monthly amount of the insurance income for the self-insured persons has been increased, as it is already BGN 710.
According to the Health Insurance Act, the uninsured on other grounds are insured on an income not less than half of the minimum monthly income for the self-insured. Thus, the health insurance contribution for them is calculated in the amount of 8% on a monthly insurance income of not less than BGN 355 and not more than BGN 3400 per month.
The deadline for paying these contributions is the 25th of the month following the month to which they relate, reminded by the NRA. The health contribution for April 2022 must be paid by May 25, 2022 at the latest.
All those for whom there is an obligation to pay their own health insurance contributions, submit to the NRA a declaration Form 7, reminded by the Revenue Agency. It is submitted electronically with a personal identification code (PIC) of the NRA or QES, through the Portal for electronic services or in the office of the Revenue Agency at a permanent address, by the 25th of the month following the month for which the obligation to payment of health insurance contributions. The sanction for not submitting this declaration is from BGN 500 to BGN 1,000.
The health insurance rights of the citizens, which are insured at their own expense, shall be suspended if no more than three due monthly installments have been paid for a period of 36 months. The period is counted until the beginning of the month preceding the month in which the person sought medical care paid for by the National Health Insurance Fund. The suspended health insurance rights of the citizens are restored, provided that they pay all due health insurance contributions for the last 60 months. The rights are restored from the date of payment of all due health insurance contributions for this period.
Citizens can inquire about their health insurance status, as well as check the periods for which they lack health insurance contributions, through the electronic service of the NRA, which is freely available on the NRA Portal.
The clients of the administration can also make an inquiry about the health status by phone: 0700 18 700 (at a price according to the tariff of the respective operator). The service is automatic and requires only entering the PIN via the phone keypad. In addition, the system provides data for all months and years for which the mandatory health insurance contributions have not been paid. The health status certificate is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
02.03.2022
WHAT BENEFITS DO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RECEIVE?
Nearly 50,100 Bulgarians receive a social disability pension, of which 15,308 receive a foreign assistance allowance. This was stated in response to the Minister of Social Affairs Georgi Gyokov in the Parliament.
Just over 21,000 are people with a social disability pension who have a disability of over 90%. 28,500 are those with a degree of disability between 71 and 90%. 1685 people receive a personal pension for military disability, and 151 of them receive a supplement for foreign assistance.
285 people in Bulgaria receive a survivor's pension for military disability, the Minister of Social Affairs said. For people with more than 90% degree of disability with certain foreign assistance, who receive a disability pension due to general illness, occupational accident or occupational disease, the assistance amounts to 30 percent of the poverty line or nearly BGN 111. Financial assistance for these with over 90 per cent degree of disability with certain foreign assistance, who receive a social disability pension, amounts to 57 per cent of the poverty line, which makes BGN 210.
A total of 750,431 people with permanent disabilities received monthly financial support in 2021.
The amount of financial support is defined as a percentage of the poverty line in our country, which is updated every year. In 2021 it was BGN 369, and now - BGN 413. People with permanent disabilities over the age of 18 are entitled to such support.
People with a disability degree of 50 to 70.99 percent receive assistance of 7 percent from the poverty line, or nearly BGN 26. Almost 250,000 people received that amount last year. Persons with disabilities from 71 to 90 percent receive 15% or a little over BGN 55, which are paid to 313,972 people. Disabled people with more than 90 percent degree of disability receive 25% or BGN 92, of which 145,323 people have benefited.
In addition to financial support, people with disabilities are also entitled to personal assistance, the hours of which depend on the percentage of disability. Their number is determined by the individual assessment based on four levels of dependence. From 1 to 15 hours per month are taken for people with first degree, from 16 to 42 hours per month - second, from 43 to 84 - third, and from 85 to 168 - fourth.
990 persons and 34 children with more than 50% degree of disability benefited from the provided social support in the first degree, just over 2700 people and nearly 200 children fell into the second degree, 8753 people and 831 children - in the third, and 32 152- There are more people and nearly 3,500 children in the fourth, according to data provided by the Minister of Social Affairs.
01.03.2022
ACCESS TO THE LABOR MARKET IN BULGARIA FOR CITIZENS OF UKRAINE
The MLSP announces that the citizens of Ukraine can gain access to the Bulgarian labor market in order to work under the following simplified procedures:
The employment of people who have the necessary documents certifying Bulgarian origin is regulated by registration with the Employment Agency. They must also have an employment contract with a local employer for a period of at least 6 months. Additional information about the procedure can be found here: https://www.az.government.bg/pages/zaetost-na-lica-ot-bulgarski-proizhod/.
Ukrainian citizens have the right to seasonal work of up to 90 days in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, hotels and restaurants in Bulgaria without interruption for 12 months. For this purpose, registration with the Employment Agency is required on the basis of a declaration submitted by the employer. Additional information about the procedure can be found here: https://www.az.government.bg/pages/sezonna-zaetost-do-90-dni/.
Ukrainian citizens who have applied for international protection and the proceedings have not been completed within three months of submitting the application for reasons beyond their control have the right to work in Bulgaria without a work permit until the procedure is completed. The declaration of employment of Ukrainians enjoying rights under the Asylum and Refugees Act is made by the local employer who has hired them under an employment contract. Additional information can be found here: https://www.az.government.bg/pages/4ujdenci-po-chl29-bejanci/.
Ukrainians and members of their families granted asylum or international protection in Bulgaria have the right to work in Bulgaria without a permit to access the labor market. People who have refugee or humanitarian status can register as jobseekers with the Labor Office at their permanent or current address.
01.03.2022
HOW TO SUBMIT THE ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ENTERPRISE
The campaign for submitting the Annual Activity Reports (AARs) of enterprises in 2021 has officially started today, the NSI reminded. For the convenience of people and companies, the single entrance for submitting the annual activity reports, built jointly by the NSI and the NRA, continues to function, i. e. legal entities and individuals will be able to submit their annual activity reports in one place.
As before, this can be done electronically (on-line) in the Information System "Business Statistics" of the NSI.
In connection with new requirements for data collection and reporting for some groups of enterprises, the information system will be available according to the following schedule:
On March 1, 2022
Annual report on the activities of non-financial corporations not compiling a balance sheet;
Annual report on the activities of non-financial corporations compiling the balance sheet;
Annual report on the activity of enterprises in liquidation or bankruptcy;
Declaration for enterprises with income and expenses below BGN 500 and for enterprises without activity.
On March 14, 2022
Annual report on the activity of non-profit enterprises;
Statistical reports for budget enterprises and banks.
On March 21, 2022
Annual report on the activities of insurers;
Annual report on the activity of investment enterprises;
Annual report on the activity of the pension insurance companies;
Annual report on the activity of the supplementary pension insurance funds and the payment funds.
On April 1, 2022
Consolidated annual activity reports.
All these groups of users will have access to the system by the end of June 2022, when the campaign for submitting AARs ends, and a deadline until the end of September 2022 for submitting corrective AARs. The group, which will have access to the system as of March 1, covers over 95% of obligated companies, or over 560,000 legal entities and individuals.
The most significant changes in the annual reporting are related to the implementation of the requirements of the EU Regulation, which requires mandatory submission of detailed information for all addresses where companies operate - the so-called local units.
All forms and instructions for AARs 2021 have been uploaded at the beginning of the year on the NSI website.
If you need more information, you can get it both from the methodologists in the NSI Central Office and from the experts in the Territorial Statistical Bureaus.
If you have any questions or problems with the operation of the system, you can contact the technical support team.
28.02.2022
ROMANIA EXTENDS CAP ON ELECTRICITY AND GAS PRICES UNTIL THE END OF 2022
The Romanian government has decided to extend for another year the existing cap on electricity and gas prices for households and small businesses, which expires at the end of March 2022. Small businesses will benefit from a special scheme that reduces costs by about 20%. Households consuming up to 1,200 m3 of gas will pay 0.31 Romanian lei/kWh (6.3 euro cents/kWh).
The measure, including support schemes for large companies, is expected to cost 14.5 billion Romanian lei (2.9 billion euros) by the end of 2022; the impact must be partially offset by the revenues from additional taxes on electricity generating companies (excluding thermal power plants) that sell the produced electricity at a price above EUR 90/MWh.
28.02.2022
FROM APRIL 1, THE MONTHLY CHILDCARE ALLOWANCE WILL INCREASE BY MORE THAN 20%
From April 1, the monthly allowances for raising a child will increase by more than 20%, reminded by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. For families with one child the assistance is raised from 40 to 50 BGN, for families with two children - from 90 to 110 BGN, for families with three children - from 135 to 165 BGN, for families with four children from 145 to 175 For each subsequent child the assistance is increased by BGN 20. Families with an average income of up to BGN 510 are entitled to such support. Families with incomes from BGN 510.01 to BGN 610 can receive 80% of the full amount of help. The monthly allowance for raising a child up to 1 year is BGN 200 - for families with an average monthly income of up to BGN 610.
It is granted to women who are not insured or do not have enough insurance experience for maternity benefits. The one-time assistance during pregnancy is BGN 150 - for families with an average monthly income per person of up to BGN 610 per person. It is granted to the uninsured or to the insured who do not have enough insurance experience for maternity benefits. From April 1, the benefit for raising a child from 1 to 2 years will be increased from BGN 650 to BGN 710. The monthly allowance for a child without the right to a survivor's pension from a deceased parent will be increased by 30% - from BGN 115 to BGN 150.
In the school year 2022/2023, the one-time allowance for first-graders and eighth-graders is BGN 300. The allowances are granted regardless of the family's income. The one-time allowance for the first child is BGN 250, for the second child - BGN 600, for the third child - BGN 300, for raising twins is BGN 1,200 for each child, and for raising a child by a mother (adoptive mother) who is a student in full-time education, is BGN 2,880.