19.12.2023

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE SALARY IN THE NORTH WEST AT THE END OF 2023?

In the third quarter of 2023, the average salary for the country is BGN 2,000, according to the data of the information bulletin of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in the field of income and standard of living for the period.

The average salary is the highest in the Sofia-city region - BGN 2,722, which is 36.1% more compared to the average salary for the country and 13.9% more compared to the third quarter of 2022, according to the ministry.

Vratsa region is in fifth place with an average salary of BGN 1,764. The increase compared to the same period last year was 9.3%.

In the Montana region, the average monthly salary is BGN 1,452. However, there is a greater growth compared to the end of 2022 – 12.5%.

Vidin region is expected to be at the bottom of the ranking with an average salary of only BGN 1,369. After it are only the districts of Kyustendil and Blagoevgrad.

14.12.2023

SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BY PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

Under the project "Youth Employment+" the Employment Agency will support young people by providing the opportunity for internship, training and providing employment, which will contribute to the acquisition of professional experience and practical skills for their realization in the labor market.

An application for participation in the activities may submit young people aged 16 to 29 incl. Who are inactive (uninsured, not registered as job seekers and are not in formal education or training) or registered as unemployed.

The young people will be given the opportunity to internship with an employer for a period of 6 to 9 months, with his designated mentors. Working during work is also up to 6 months. Subsidized employment is also provided for a period of up to 9 months with a mentor provided. Also, young people can undergo training to acquire "soft skills" by key competence 5 "Personal and Social Competence and Learning Skills", or key competence 7 "Initiative and Entrepreneurship", and the training can be held in the period of provision of provision Employment. During the first month of young people, public transport funds are provided to and from the workplace.

All employers, with the exception of those of the agricultural, forest and fishery sectors, can request participation in the project by hiring young people on a 4-hour or 8-hour working day. The cost of remuneration, incl. the social security contributions at the expense of the employer, for each employed young man will be restored in the form of a standard table for a unit of expense. The standard unit table coverage table covers the three -month labor cost of the employer for employee in the economic sector (the economic activity of the enterprise in which the person is employed according to the classification of economic activities (KID) 2008) with a minimum of 85% worked for the period for the period for the period , including. The days in which the person takes paid annual leave. Employers who conclude an indefinite employment contract with an internship youth for a position that corresponds to the trainee's qualification will receive incentives in the amount of their insurance costs for a period of 6 months from the beginning of the contract.

Applications for inclusion in the project and their annexes shall be submitted through the system for secure electronic service to the Labor Office Directorate in the territory on which the activities will be implemented. The information on the conditions of the project is available on the official site of the Employment Agency, www.az.government.bg, as well as on the spot in Labor Office Directorate - Berkovitsa.

The Youth Employment + Project is implemented with the financial support of the Human Resources Development Program 2021-2027. The project budget is BGN 188 million. It is planned to cover at least 15,200 young people by 2027, and over 9,000 young people are in employment after the end of the project.

13.12.2023

A NEW PLATFORM WILL CONNECT EU EMPLOYERS AND THIRD -PARTY WORKERS

The average percentage of vacancies in the EU at the end of 2022 reached a historic peak - about 3% (more than twice the level of 2012), according to a study by Eurofound. Nearly one -third of employers indicate that the shortage of staff is already preventing them from producing goods and providing services. The problem is widespread, it also feels sharply in Bulgaria - from restaurant and tourism to production. And it's obviously supranational.

Against this background, in mid -November, the EC presented the first of its kind package for "Talents Skills and Mobility", which aims to attract qualified third -country workers. The measures include a new platform - EU Talent Pool to connect EU employers to third -party job seekers. Actions are further provided to promote the recognition of qualifications and mobility of students.

The initiative is from three European Commissioners - EC Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, Ilva Johansson, Commissioner for the Interior, and the new Bulgarian Commissioner Iliana Ivanova, who is responsible for innovation, research, culture, education and youth. "Europe is involved in the World Talents Competition. It is no less important than raw materials racing. The main competitors of Europe here are the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia," said Ivanova (the whole interview with -down).

The problem with the lack of staff

By 2023, the struggle for staff was most acute in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands, but in certain sectors and professions, shortage was critical throughout the EU. "The sectors with a structural shortage are tourism, hotel and restaurant, information technology, healthcare and logistics. In some of them, the lack of staff is even bigger after the pandemic," says the Bulgarian Commissioner. According to her, the environmental and digital economy that the EU is striving for also requires new labor, new specific skills and restructuring in the labor market. It is likely to affect particularly sectors such as construction, energy, industry and transport.

Against this background, Brussels has reason to worry that demographic changes, aging population and low birth rates will only exacerbate these challenges. By 2030, a working -age population in Europe is expected to decrease to 258 million in 265 million by 2022.

The new plan

The talent platform "will change the rules of the game," the EC said. In addition to connecting employers and job seekers, it will also provide information on the recruitment procedures from third countries and migration in the Member States, it will also include measures to ensure fair rental and labor conditions. Participation in the so -called. EU Talent Pool will be voluntary for Member States. The platform will cover all types of work and skills on the "talent ladder" (low, medium and highly qualified workers), incl. Long -term care workers - such as caregivers and those who look at the elderly or young children. "It makes a huge sense to them on this platform because they often find themselves in an unregulated situation," says EC vice -chairman Margaritis Skhinas. It is not possible to judge how many "talents" will be hired through the platform, but the goal is as much as possible if they respond to vacancies, adds Commissioner Johansson.

"The emphasis will be on the 42 most common professions, the list being prepared by the EC. It will be based on the experience of the EURES platform (the European Employment Services Cooperation Network designed to facilitate the free movement of Union workers) , but it seems that it will not be part of it and will be intended to be operatively compatible with other staffing platforms, "said Maria Mincheva - Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and rapporteur on the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the subject.

The second component of the EC package is for easier and faster recognition of third-country citizens' qualifications. The aim is to develop the capacity of the national authorities in this area. This does not accurately harmonize the rules for recognizing qualifications of non-EU citizens (which is not excluded from happening at a later stage), but will help somewhat easier to facilitate procedures in Member States. The EC Vice-President Schinas sets an example with the pandemic of Covid, when at the most critical moment Member States could not get healthcare workers because of the inability to recognize qualifications in other countries.

The platform also has a third component that aims to further encourage educational mobility within the EU.

How Business accepts the idea

Immediately after the initiative was announced, the BusinessEurope CEO (the largest lobbying business organization in Brussels) Marcus J. Bayrer welcomes her: "It is high time for the EU to acknowledge the role of economic migration in assisting in dealing with labor and skills needs in Europe." And he adds that it is of vital importance that employers are closely involved in upcoming discussions.

Maria Mincheva from BIA says that their "members of all sectors put the lack of people as one of the most sensitive problems - workers in all positions of all levels of qualification are needed." According to her, the EC advocates for greater flexibility and reduction of administrative burden for third-country citizens, and this will certainly help the business.

According to European Commissioner Iliana Ivanov, the initiative is for the benefit of all Member States. "It does not treat them selectively. How they would take advantage of it depends largely on national authorities. They must make a reality the opportunities that the proposal creates." Maria Mincheva is of the same opinion: "In the last few months we have intensive communication with the various agencies involved in the process. For us a major role in improving the process is its digitalization - something that the Ministry of Electronic Governance works and will soon present its platform," she says.

The initiative is yet to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council before it becomes a fact, but "in any case it will be completed in full from the next EC after 2024," Mincheva says.

Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth

How serious is the problem of labor shortages in the EU?

75 percent of small and medium -sized enterprises say they do not find the people they need. The goal of having 20 million professionals in the IT sector by 2030 is in question - so far there are 9 million such specialists. We need another 11 million.

Europe's demographic problem is also known. By 2070, the number of people of working age will drop from about 65% in 2019 to 54-56%. At the same time, the pressure on pension systems and social protection systems is increasing.

There are a major shortage of staff in 28 professions. In 2020, 14% of the EU workforce was employed. These are plumbers and installers of pipes, nurses, system analyzers, welders and oxidists, drivers of heavy goods vehicles, civil engineers, software developers.

As the population of Europe is aging, it is increasingly feeling a shortage in medicine and care for sick and elderly. It is expected that by 2030, 7 million jobs in this field will be created, and the EU labor market can only partially cover them.

Increasing the mobility of the workforce within the EU is not enough to meet these needs. When deficient footage moves, it means that some regions win and others lose because almost all Member States suffer from labor shortages. In short, EU's own workforce is not enough.

Bulgaria is one of the countries with the largest "brain drain". At the same time, sectors such as IT technologies are developing well and have a constant need for fresh resources. What will be the role of our country in the new initiative?

Participation in the platform is voluntary. No one forces countries to open their labor markets to third -country workers. They have to decide what staff they need, if they judge, use the tools that the EU offers them. They can add or remove the professions to the 42 already identified.

The same applies to the recommendation for educational mobility. We have the ambition to significantly increase the exchange of students, students, teachers who train between Member States and we also have instruments and financial resources to help it. But the key is in the hands of Member States.

Let us remember that education is an area of national rather than union competence under the contracts. The Commission and its services are available in terms of technical assistance, financing the exchange of learners and learners through a program such as Erasmus +, for example.

The proposed package is the first history initiative for organized labor migration in the EU, which addresses a shortage of labor in different sectors. It also aims to prevent illegal EU entries and the risks to illegal migrants. In order not to allow tragedies in the Mediterranean, there must be paths for legal migration.

Last year, there were 330,000 illegal arrivals in the EU. At the same time, we have 3.5 million solutions that allow legal immigration - more than 10 times more. Over one -third of them - 1.5 million - are because of the needs of the labor market. Today, third -country citizens hired in the EU are 10 million.

How will the recognition of experience, internship, qualifications of third -party migrants happen?

Now there is a lot of bureaucracy in the system of recognition of professional qualifications. It demotivates job applicants from third parties. We call this not "drain" but "wasting" of brains.

The Commission proposed to establish national services to recognize qualifications with greater capacity and in more active cooperation with the countries of origin of migrants, shorter time processing time and reduced costs for job seekers, simplified translation and certification processes.

Once they have found a job through the platform, will third-country workers need a work visa and how will it proceed?

The issuance of work visas and permanent residence permission remains in the hands of Member States. If an employer wants to hire a third -party job candidate, he or she must contact national authorities to issue a visa or permission to the applicant. We do not question who makes the final decisions on labor migration. What we want to do with the proposal is to facilitate job seekers to find the right job vacancies.

However, the Commission proposes a revision of two directives related to the entry and residence of third -country citizens in the EU - the Directive for Long-Term Residents and the Single Residence Permit Directive, adopted respectively in 2003 and 2011.

The proposed revision of the second includes an obligation for Member States to accept applications submitted both in them and in a third party. It is also envisaged that a four -month period for issuing a decision to cover the required entry visa and the time for conducting a labor market test. The proposal also contains the right of the authorization holder to replace the employer within the validity of the permit. We suggest that it does not take at least three months if its carrier is out of work.

The main changes to the Directive for the Long Term Residents, on the other hand, provide for the required five-year residence period to be cumulative, while gathering the residence periods in the different Member States. Periods of residence under temporary and national protection and also be respected during study. Member States to introduce control mechanisms to monitor actual residence and to ensure that this status is not abused.

It is also envisaged that the right to gather families without conditions for integration, with full access to work for their members, and the children of long-term residence, born in the EU, can acquire status immediately.

13.12.2023

HOW A BOSS CAN REVERSE A DISMISSAL ORDER

Although they are rare, there are sometimes cases where employers, after dismissing their worker or employee, change their mind and look for options to cancel the already imposed order.

The reasons for this can be very different, and often it is errors in the procedure itself, which his former subordinate is now appealing in court, or because he has changed his mind and wants to keep his staff.

Of course, the reasons can be completely different, but whatever they are, the employers are faced with the question of whether there is a legal procedure in such situations, through which they can cancel this decision of theirs.

According to the Labor Code, the worker or employee has the right to challenge the legality of the dismissal before the employer or before the court and request:

  1. recognition of the dismissal as illegal and its cancellation;
  2. restoration of previous work;
  3. compensation for the time during which he was unemployed due to the dismissal;
  4. correction of the grounds for dismissal entered in the employment book or in other documents.

According to this year's change in the Labor Code, the employer can cancel the dismissal order at his own discretion until the worker or employee files a claim in court. After the filing of the claim and until the entry into force of the court decision, he may revoke the dismissal order with the written consent of the worker or employee. This change in legislation came into force on 01.07.2024.

In cases where the prior consent of the labor inspectorate or a trade union body is required to carry out the dismissal and such consent was not requested or was not given before the dismissal, the court annuls the dismissal order as illegal on this basis alone, without considering the labor dispute in substance.

Labor disputes are considered by the district court within three months from the receipt of the claim and by the district court - within one month from the receipt of the appeal.

How does recovery of previous work happen?

It is provided that when the worker or employee is reinstated to his previous job by the employer or by the court, he can take it if within two weeks of receiving the notice of reinstatement he reports to work, unless this deadline is not observed for valid reasons . The dismissed worker or employee is reinstated to the previous job and on the basis of an effective acquittal.

When the dismissal of the worker or employee is recognized as illegal by the employer or by the court or the grounds for termination of the employment relationship are corrected, the change that has occurred is entered in the labor book of the worker or employee. The entry in the employment book is carried out by the employer with whom the employment relationship was terminated, and in case of refusal - by the labor inspectorate.

 

Reference:

Art. 344, Art. 345, Art. 346 of the Labor Code

12.12.2023

500,000 UNEMPLOYED AND BUSY WILL ACQUIRE DIGITAL SKILLS BY 2026.

By mid -2026, 500,000 unemployed and employed persons for the base and average level of digital skills will be trained, and 100,000 persons who have acquired their digital skills independently will be given the opportunity to take an exam and certified. This was announced by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Ivanka Shalapatova during the opening of the National Conference on "Digital Skills for the Digital Decade".

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy organizes the forum within the European Year of Skills and as a national coordinator of activities within the European Year of Skills Year in Bulgaria. The main objective of the event is to provoke a discussion between national and European institutions, employers' and branch organizations, trade unions, academic community and youth organizations on the topic of digital transformation and the growing need for workforce with digital skills sought from the labor market.

National Employment and Training Policy puts as a priority the training of workforce to adapt to structural changes caused by digital and green transition, because the acquisition and improvement of digital skills is more than necessary in today's labor market. The set national goal is to reach participation in training every year of 35.4% of the population in the most active age (25-64). For this purpose, MLSP will develop and implement a national virtual platform for online training for persons over 16, which will give opportunities for flexible forms of training at a convenient time from a distance. The platform will also provide training opportunities adapted to disadvantaged persons in the labor market, such as disabled people with a low level of education and older people.

"In the period 2023 - 2027, we will invest over BGN 1 billion from the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan and the European Social Fund + to finance various workforce training opportunities, with a focus on enhancing digital skills," added Minister Shalapatova.

11.12.2023

THE AGENCY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OFFERS MORE DELICATE CONDITIONS FOR FINANCING PROJECTS FOR REHABILITATION AND INTEGRATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy publishes for public discussion proposals for changes in the methodology for financing projects for rehabilitation and integration of people with disabilities. The main reasons for the amendments are to facilitate the conditions for applying for funding from the Agency for People with Disabilities and to facilitate the procedure for evaluating and ranking the competitive proposals. The purpose of the changes is to increase the interest in the rehabilitation and integration of people with disabilities, which creates the conditions for their more complete inclusion in society.

It is envisaged that the application for funding will be made with fewer documents and the requirement for submission of documents available in public registers will be eliminated. Application restrictions will also be minimized. It is envisaged that the condition for the lack of connectivity of the candidates in terms of their participation in general governing bodies, as well as the condition for a compulsory participation for the implementation of the competition proposals. The proposed changes create a clearer, more relief and transparent procedure in the evaluation and ranking of projects by the Agency for People with Disabilities.

The changes aim to encourage the participation of more non -profit organizations, carrying out activities related to people with disabilities who can currently receive funding because they are in small settlements and do not have the necessary capacity, staff and budget for the implementation of projects under the program. Creating the opportunity to finance such organizations will help people with disabilities living in smaller settlements who, due to their low income and get the rehabilitation they need.

Non-profit organizations for people with disabilities can apply for the program funding - legal entities registered under the Law on Non-Profit Legal Persons for Performing Public Help, as well as nationally represented organizations of people with disabilities registered under the Cooperatives Act.

08.12.2023

WHAT ARE THE HIGHEST PAID PROFESSIONS IN ROMANIA?

IT professionals are no longer the highest paid employees in Romania, writes Adevarul, citing official data published by the National Statistical Institute, BTA reports.

In the 10th place in the ranking of the highest salaries in Romania are the employees of research and development, with a gross salary of 10 808 lei (4323 BGN) and a net of 6632 lei (2652 BGN).

Seventh, eighth and ninth place is occupied by employees in the field of insurance, reinsurance and pension funds (except state) with a gross salary of 12 631 lei (5052 BGN) and a net 7566 lei (BGN 3026), employees in the district of financial intermediation with a gross salary of 11 905 lei (4762 BGN) and a net of 7127 lei (2850 BGN), employees in the field of production and delivery of electrical and heat, gas, hot water and air conditioning with average gross wage from 11 253 lei (4501 BGN) and a net salary of 6796 lei (2718 BGN).

In 6th place in the ranking are the people of the tobacco industry. They receive a gross 12 134 lei (4853 BGN) or an average of 7365 lei net (2946 BGN).

Only in 5th place are the aerial transport workers with an average gross salary of 14 130 lei (5652 BGN) and a net of 8814 lei (3525 BGN).

The fourth in the ranking are employees in the field of publishing with an average salary gross of 14 634 lei (5853 BGN) or 9241 lei (3696 BGN) net.

3rd are employees in the field of information and communications with an average gross salary of 14 904 lei (5961 BGN) and a net of 9348 lei (3739 BGN).

IT professionals are no longer leaders and occupy second positions in the highest paid employees. Their salaries in September are 16 942 lei gross (6776 BGN) or 10 767 lei (4306 BGN) net.

The first according to the numbers and the best paid in September were employees in the field of production of coke furnaces and products obtained from the processing of raw oil. They receive an average gross 19363 lei (7745 BGN) or 11450 lei net (4580 BGN), which equates to 5.89 net minimum wages. The payment in September (along with the premiums) was 23.2% higher than August 2023, the newspaper notes.

On the other extreme with the lowest net salaries in September are hotels and restaurants employees with a salary of an average gross of 4077 lei (1630 BGN) or 2524 lei net (BGN 1009).

The minimum gross salary in Romania is currently 3300 lei (1320 BGN) and the net is 1941 lei (776 BGN), adevarul recalls and notes that almost 1.9 million employees receive such monthly remuneration.

07.12.2023

ROMANIA IS SECOND IN EUROPE IN NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE

Romania ranks second in Europe in the number of inactive in the field of labor, according to Angarul newspaper. The publication cites data from an analysis of the labor market in Romania by the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) for the US Chamber of Commerce.

Currently, there are approximately 7 million inactive people in the country in the country. This includes children, students, retirees and people aged 17 to 65 who neither study nor work. The same study shows that over the last 2 years the number of inactive people has increased by about 400,000. Thus, Romania has registered the third lowest employment in the EU by 67.1%, while in Europe an average of 73.1%.

"The Romanian does not run from work. The Romanian is not helped to find a job that will provide him with a decent life," said the sociologist Jelu Wordinica for Adevarul.

"Let's say I have the choice of going to work or waiting for the state. If I go to work, I get a minimum wage for the economy, just over 2000 lei (800 BGN). To go to work, I have expenses. Transport, cigarettes, food. This means that I must first invest somewhere 30 lei (12 BGN) per day. My investment amounts to 660 lei (264 BGN). This means that if they take me to work, my profit is only about 1500 lei (600 BGN). Which is demotivating," he adds.

The sociologist also affects another problem - labor shortages in Romania.

"The people who go to work abroad should also be taken into account. We complain that we have no labor in Romania, but on the other hand, we don't even know how to keep our Romanians in the country. With their skills, they can earn 3 times more there than here," the Duminica notes.

Academician Mircea Dumitru, Deputy Chairman of the Romanian Academy, affects another trend there-the graduates of high school to flee vocational schools.

"A vocational school provides work. We will always need plumbers, mechanics, electricians. In Romania, however, many seem to be ashamed to choose a similar profession. People need to understand that a good worker is as valuable as the architect or engineer," says Dumitru.

Daniel David, rector at the University of Bucharest, sees light in the tunnel.

"We began to change this perspective through the Dual Training Program. The idea is to involve various companies in the educational process from the beginning, to participate in the teaching and training activities for young people. And the companies will benefit from those university graduates," he says.

Romania is also the country with the most unemployed among university graduates, according to a Eurostat survey. 1/3 of those with secondary and higher education do not find a job after leaving school.

06.12.2023

IS SENIOR SERVICE INTERRUPTED WHEN CHANGING JOB?

We have to change job and the question arises: "What happens to my work and insurance experience during the time between the end of one job and the start of another?". The main questions that concern this period of time are the following:

  1. Is my work experience interrupted?

During the time interval between the termination and the appointment of a new job, the service experience is interrupted.

  1. Is the social security experience interrupted?

The social security experience after December 31, 2004 is calculated in hours, days, months and years for the time during which individuals are insured for the social risks provided for by the law. When the person does not work during the time between the end of one job and the start of another job and is not registered at the labor office (or is registered, but does not have 12 months of social security experience in the last 18 months), the period will not count as social security experience.

  1. Are my health insurance rights interrupted?

In this case, it is important to distinguish health insurance rights from social security experience. In order for health insurance rights to be suspended, no more than 3 due monthly contributions must have been paid in a 36-month period. It is important to cover the minimum monthly health insurance contribution to the National Health Insurance Fund.

  1. Do I owe anything to the state during this period?

When starting a new job, it is recommended to check the insurance status of the person at the National Revenue Agency, which can also happen with a Personal Identification Code, by making a reference for a past period regarding insurance obligations owed to the state.

 

Reference:

Art. 9 of the Ordinance on the work record and work experience

Art. 40 of the Ordinance on pensions and insurance service

Art. 109 of the Law on Health Insurance

Art. 54a of the Social Insurance Code

03.12.2023

DECEMBER 3 - INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

On December 3, 31 years now, the world has been looking at the problems of people with disabilities, but more and more often their ability to have a worthy place in society.

In 1992, the General Assembly of the United Nations announced that date for International Day of People with Disabilities with the idea of politicians and institutions to focus on creating more effective policies to guarantee a full life of one of the most vulnerable groups in society. This year, the focus is on the progress of the objectives for sustainable development of the United Nations to overcome inequalities and ensure a more worthy life for people with disabilities.

Unfortunately, the UN reports that due to the crises that the world has been facing in recent years, the fulfillment of the goals by 2030 has been threatened. However, we believe that with the common efforts of the institutions and the civil sector in Bulgaria it is possible to overcome obstacles and to guarantee a worthy place in the society of every person in the country.

Just a few days ago, a meeting of the Council of the European Union for Employment and Social Policy was completed, at which the line ministers approved a position on the Directive to create a map of the European Union for people with disabilities and a parking card for persons with disabilities.

We sincerely believe that the specific capabilities of people with disabilities are the engine, which can drive the change to overcoming stereotypes and to actively involve them in all spheres of public life of the country.