24.11.2021
HOW MANY BULGARIANS HAVE GOT A SECOND JOB
Only half a percent of Bulgarians get a second job and this gives us the last place in the European Union on this indicator. This is shown by data from the European statistical office Eurostat, announced on Tuesday. However, the data show people who work officially in a second job, not those who do not have a contract and do not declare it.
Half of the Bulgarians with a second job have a contract, and the rest are self-employed or help in a family business. Romania and Sweden are in our queue. In the EU as a whole, in the second half of this year, less than 4% of employed people of working age worked in two places. More than half of them are in second place as employees, and 39% - as self-employed.
Most people work in two jobs in the Netherlands - 10 percent, in Finland and Denmark - 7 percent, and in Estonia and Lithuania - 6 percent.
In the second quarter of 2021, 13% of employed people between the ages of 20 and 64 in the EU were self-employed. The rest are classified as employees - they are 86 percent. Less than 1 percent are family workers, according to Eurostat data.
Among the self-employed, men are twice as many as women - 67 percent compared to 33 percent. The distribution by employees is more even - 52 against 48% in favor of men. The largest number of self-employed people is in the age groups between 55 and 64 years - there are 17%, between 15 and 24 years are 4 percent, and 13 percent are in the age group between 25 and 54 years.
In addition, the self-employed are slightly more common among people with a low level of education - 16% have primary education, 12% - with secondary education, and 13% - with higher education.
22.11.2021
HOW TO CHECK IF YOUR EMPLOYER PAYS INSURANCE
What to do if you think that your employer does not transfer the due insurances to you? First of all, check the slip for your monthly salary.
It should reflect whether the relevant social security payments have been made, experts from the Financial Supervision Commission advise.
However, to be completely sure that your social security contributions have been paid, and your employer has done everything necessary to ensure that your insurance data is properly recorded in the NRA registers, you can check through the electronic services portal on the NRA website - www.nap.bg - in "e-services with runway".
The data is available after entering your PIN and personal identification code (PIC). In case you do not have a PIC code – you can get it by submitting the respective application to the NRA.
If you find that the social security contributions have not been transferred by your employer, you should report it to the NRA, experts advise.
22.11.2021
HOW PENSIONS CHANGE FROM CHRISTMAS
From December 25, 2021, important changes in the pension legislation come into force, which will affect the amount of pensions.
The average amount of the pension is expected to reach BGN 573 in January 2022, according to the calculations of the experts of the National Social Security Institute, made at the request of BTA.
From December 25, the percentage for a year of insurance experience, without the so-called conversion increases from 1.2 percent to 1.35 percent. The length of service converted to the third category of work remains with a weight of 1.2 percent. The minimum amount of the pension for length of service and age will increase from BGN 300 to BGN 370. The maximum amount of the received one or more pensions, without the supplements to them, will increase from BGN 1440 to BGN 1500. The social old-age pension will be increased increased from BGN 148.71 to BGN 170.
The expected average amount of the pension in December 2021, not taking into account the one-time additional amount given due to the pandemic and for the period October - December 2021 is BGN 120, is BGN 486.50. The forecasts show that in January 2022 The average amount of pension will be BGN 573, including the payment for the period December 25-31 with the new weight of one year of insurance service and the increases of the minimum amount of pensions for employment, the amount of social pension for old age and "ceiling" of pensions.
These increases will not affect the right to lump sums - the so-called. "covid supplements" of BGN 50 for the period from January to September and BGN 120 thereafter, which were paid and continue to be paid this year. These allowances are given to help all just over 2,067,000 pensioners, regardless of the size of their pension.
The average amount of the pension in 2021, including "covid supplement", is expected to be BGN 537.50 and will increase by about 23 percent compared to 2020. For 2022 the forecast is for BGN 580.50. the people on the "ceiling" of pensions of BGN 1,440 in December 2021 are expected to be 27,500, and in January 2022, when the maximum amount of BGN 1,500 comes into force, the people on the "ceiling" will be 34,000.
In December 2021, the expected number of people receiving a minimum pension is 892,000, the forecast for January 2022 is that the people with a minimum pension will be 1,044,000, which is half of Bulgarian retirees.
At this stage, it is not clear whether pensioners will continue to receive a lump sum supplement to pensions, which is given to support the elderly during the pandemic due to the additional costs of medicines and others.
The caretaker Minister of Labor and Social Policy Galab Donev pointed out that this will be decided by the new National Assembly. His position is that pension income should increase, and it is important to have predictability in this increase.
According to the information contained in the latest bulletin of the National Social Security Institute, the adopted increases will lead to an increase in pensions not only in the short term, but also in the medium and long term. Thus, the average pension for employment per pensioner in 2024 is expected to reach BGN 669.
22.11.2021
THE SUSTAINABLE LADY FUND DISTRIBUTED BGN 10,000 IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
The fund in support of innovative green projects of Bulgarian women entrepreneurs Sustainable Lady handed out its first prizes. It was established by First Investment Bank, together with Mastercard at the beginning of the year and has since welcomed its most courageous candidates through a competition with a prize fund of a total of BGN 10,000.
At a special ceremony in Sofia, the winners were announced in two categories: Start-up Business and Working Business. The special jury was composed of: Vanya Manova - MasterCard Manager for Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo; Nadia Koshinska - SME Banking Director and Member of the Management Board of Fibank and Mira Badzheva - journalist and publisher. It had to choose only the first two places, among the many applications received, each with a useful and valuable focus for society.
Svetoslava Simeonova from the Sofia2Go platform grabbed BGN 5,000 funding and first place in the Start-up Business category. She is the owner of a project aimed at solving the problem of food waste. First place in the other category - that for an already operating business, took Elitsa Ilieva, owner of "Elian Generation Varna" Ltd. - the first eco-friendly bar in Varna, established in 2015.
In the Starting Business category, two second places received the same number of votes. These include Ivelina Atanasova - Genchev from "SCOOP": analysis system and program for development of sustainable business policies - a unified certification system for measuring and analyzing the social, economic and environmental sustainability of business. The other award-winning project is by Nusha Spirova-Ognyanova from Cactus lab - The First Plant Maker Space, where adults and children can experiment, learn and create with plants.
Diana Boneva, creator of "Bikee.Fun" - a platform for renting electric bicycles, was ranked third in the category.
In the Working Business category, the jury determined second place for Reneta Borisova from Energomonitor Bulgaria EOOD, who trades in intelligent products for remote energy monitoring and real-time management. The same number of points was awarded to Gergana Noveva from Gipities EOOD - eco-oriented production with recycled and biodegradable materials. Third in the competition is Victoria Tsacheva from the Association for Social Responsibility and Development through Innovation (ASORI), which holds an annual interdisciplinary cultural festival. The ladies in second place in both categories received a diploma and a Silver Coin "Bulgarian Rose", and those in third place - a diploma and a Silver Bar Medallion "Glagolitic".
"We are pleased that the Sustainable Lady Fund has attracted courageous women entrepreneurs who want to work for a cleaner planet and given new meaning to the Mastercard Smart Lady program. We aim for the fund to grow every year and to honor and support green ideas on a regular basis. We recently announced that Mastercard is setting up a global laboratory in Stockholm - a center for research and development of digital products and environmental solutions to transform businesses in the financial sector - we believe that Sustainable Lady projects have a chance to be part of this laboratory“, shared Vanya Manova, Mastercard Manager for Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.
"The Sustainable Lady Fund, part of Fibank's Smart Lady program, has the main goal - to help women who want to develop or develop sustainable business. Sustainable business is based on several main pillars - education, equal start, innovation, circular economy, but the most important thing is the desire to work in the name of the global idea - to leave future generations a cleaner planet. We saw this in each of the projects of the ladies who applied with their ideas. Which once again proved the thesis that the consistent, small steps that each of us takes every day in the direction of sustainability, will necessarily lead to the desired success at the global level," said Ilona Staneva, Marketing and Advertising Director at the bank.
The organizers have set a goal to launch a socially responsible initiative to further support the activities of the Fund for 2022, so that it can lend a hand to more and more innovative ideas aimed at protecting the environment.
Mastercard believes that innovation only adds value when it radically improves people's lives and the planet as a whole. That is why in 2020 Mastercard made a global commitment to support 25 million women entrepreneurs in the world to be included in the digital economy by 2025 and the project with First Investment Bank is part of this long-term global commitment. Sustainable Lady is also among the first projects of the green network of global and local Mastercard projects to support the environment.
19.11.2021
COMPANIES REFUSE TO HIRE A WORKER AS SOON AS THEY FIND OUT THAT THERE IS A TEMC
In the dynamics of the modern labor market, a person of a certain age may encounter difficulties in finding a job. This was stated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Baki Hyuseinov - Deputy Chairman of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination.
On the other hand, employers, in the event of redundancies, start doing so with people who have been entitled to early retirement, and there is not even a preliminary conversation in this direction. There is no selection, no educational qualifications, no consideration for the professional qualities of the old staff, they are the convenient target. Complaints and allegations of incorrect, mocking or sarcastic tone from colleagues against older employees are also found, he added to BNR.
Some employers use discriminatory practices, mainly related to disability, age, gender, ethnicity. The manifestations of discrimination on the grounds of political affiliation, trade union affiliation, sexual orientation, as well as sexual harassment as a form of discrimination are not an exception, the data of the commission show.
People with disabilities are very often discriminated against in the field of employment. These people face problems in finding or staying a job when the employer gets acquainted with the decision of the TEMC regarding the condition of the incoming or already appointed employee or worker, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Baki Hyuseinov. Then things change both in attitude and in terms of hiring promises.
The treatment of these people grows into harassment in the workplace, as verbal, which is mocking and sarcastic, undermining the dignity of the victim. Relevant actions are being taken to the detriment of the employee, leading to the tendentious creation of an inaccessible environment - unadapted toilets, suspended elevators, etc., he explained.
Often, gender complaints are from expectant mothers or young women returning from maternity leave against employers. The attitude of employers towards pregnant employees is not unambiguous, but in most cases it is not correct.
Experts advise victims of any kind of unequal treatment in the field of employment to seek the help of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, overcoming fears and worries and consciously asserting their rights. In this way, they will help not only themselves but also other victims who have encountered problems with employers - a trend that is unfortunately evolving. When the accusations are substantiated and objectively proven, the CPD has mechanisms to limit such violations of the law, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Baki Hyuseinov.
18.11.2021
BGN 250 MILLION UNDER THE MEASURE 60 TO 40
The government approved an additional transfer of BGN 250 million from the budget of the National Social Security Institute (NSSI), the press center of the official cabinet announced.
The funds will be used under measure 60 to 40 to maintain the employment of workers in the economic sectors affected by the coronavirus pandemic. By allocating the additional financial resource, about 65,000 employees will keep their jobs.
The funds will be provided at the expense of the reserve for unforeseen and/or urgent expenses for 2021 under the central budget in the part for supplementary and compensatory measures in connection with COVID-19 and others, as well as according to the amendments to The State Budget of the Republic of Bulgaria Act for 2021.
18.11.2021
BULGARIANS ARE WAITING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS
Bulgarians are cautious about starting their own business, as the reason is the pandemic, which makes the business environment in our country uncertain. The registrations of new companies in Bulgaria have slowed down to 6% for the period July-September compared to 37.9% for the period April-June, according to the latest Eurostat data.
The largest increase in registrations of new companies is in Romania by 34.5%, followed by Ireland with 27.4% and the Netherlands with 26.6%. The strongest decline was at the end of September in Denmark - 13.9%, followed by Lithuania with 10.9% and Belgium with 7.2%.
On average for the EU, registrations of new companies increased by 1.6% at the end of September compared to 53.4% at the end of June. At the same time, however, bankruptcies in Bulgaria decreased in the third quarter of the year on an annual basis.
Bankruptcy applications in Bulgaria fell by 3.5% at the end of September compared to the same period last year, after growing by 35.2% in April-June, according to Eurostat.
In Germany, the strongest decline in insolvency claims was reported in the third quarter - 48.5%, followed by the Netherlands with 42.9% and Poland with 35.8%.
On average for the EU, bankruptcies increased by 0.2% at the end of September with 21.1% growth at the end of June, the data show. The largest increase in companies went bankrupt in Lithuania with 52.6%, followed by Slovakia with 35.9% and Spain with 30.4%.
The number of bankruptcies in construction, as well as in finance and insurance, increased in the third quarter, Eurostat found. A decrease was reported in transport, accommodation and food services, trade, as well as in information and communications.
17.11.2021
UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE THREE NORTHWESTERN DISTRICTS OF MONTANA, VIDIN AND VRATSA HAS FALLEN
Unemployment in the three northwestern districts of Montana, Vidin and Vratsa at the end of October was 9.9 percent and compared to October 2020 there was a decrease of 2.4 percent, said the Regional Employment Service in Montana.
The number of unemployed decreased compared to September 2021 - by 0.2 percent. At the end of October, the number of unemployed registered in the labor offices in the three districts was 17,101 and was 377 less than at the end of September. Compared to a year earlier, the number of unemployed is 4168 less.
1125 people started a new job in October in the districts of Montana, Vidin and Vratsa, and 84 percent of them used the assistance of the labor offices in the northwestern region. In October, 405 people from risk groups were employed under subsidized employment programs.
Despite the decline, unemployment in the three northwestern districts is higher than the national average, the Montana Regional Employment Service said. The highest unemployment was registered in the municipalities of Ruzhintsi - 48.7 percent, Yakimovo - 39.8 percent, Hayredin - 36.4, Borovan - 35.6. The lowest unemployment rates are in the municipalities of Vratsa - 3.6 percent, Montana - 3.9 percent, Mezdra - 4.2 percent, Berkovitsa - 6.4 percent, Lom - 7.6 percent, etc.
17.11.2021
VIDIN REGION: 63% OF THE COMPANIES DO NOT HIRE NEW PEOPLE
In Vidin district, more than 63 percent of employers said they would not hire new staff for the next six months. This was announced by Ivan Ivanov, director of the "Labor Office" Vidin. The data are from a survey conducted by labor offices among employers in the region with the highest percentage of employed average monthly staff for the last year. Only 7.9 percent of employers said they would be laid off in the next six months.
Doctor, nurse and health care specialist are the most sought after professions now and for the next 12 months by employers in Vidin, requiring higher education. In Vidin region they are missing and there is a shortage of labor for these specialties. After them are the specialties - Specialist - projects, Psychologist, Engineer - electrical and construction, teacher and others. The most sought-after professions are secondary education - "Machine Operator", "Construction Assistant", "Assistant Dentist", "Economist". The wanted workers without qualification from employers in Vidin region are for waste collection, in agriculture and forestry, assistants in food preparation.
More than 76 percent of employers in the Vidin region said they had difficulty finding labor. Nearly 50 percent of them say that the next covid crisis or restrictive measures will not affect the stated needs for new staff. For the next three years, the most sought-after specialists with higher education are expected to be in administration and management, economics, mechanical engineering, and among those with secondary education - in wholesale and retail trade, gardening, construction.
Unemployment was recorded at a record low in BT Vidin for the month of October, where a level of 6.35 percent was reported. For the same period last year, unemployment was 9.45 percent. According to Ivanov, the reason for the low unemployment is the anti-crisis measures of the state.
17.11.2021
LABOR FORCE IN THE THIRD QUARTER (Q3)
From the beginning of 2021, the monitoring of the labor force in all EU Member States, incl. and in Bulgaria, is carried out in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common framework for European statistics on individuals and households, based on individual data collected through samples and related implementing European Commission regulations in the field of labor statistics. These regulations require changes in the monitoring methodology, primarily related to the definitions of employment and unemployment, which is why the results of the labor force survey for 2021 are not fully comparable with those for previous periods.
Main indicators for the economic activity of the population in the third quarter of 2021:
Employment
In the third quarter of 2021 the total number of employed persons was 3 134.4 thousand, of which 1 677.3 thousand men and 1 457.1 thousand women. The employment rate is 53.4%, respectively 59.7% for men and 47.6% for women.
In the third quarter of 2021 1,967.0 thousand or 62.8% of the employed persons worked in the services sector, 952.6 thousand (30.4%) in industry and 214.8 thousand in agricultural, forestry and fisheries (6.9%). ).
Of all employees 3.8% (118.0 thousand) are employers, 7.1% (221.4 thousand) - self-employed (excluding employees), 88.5% (2 775.4 thousand) - employees, and 0.6% (19.6 thousand) - unpaid family workers. Of the total number of employees 2 104.5 thousand (75.8%) work in the private sector and 671.0 thousand (24.2%) - in the public sector.
In the third quarter of 2021, employment in different age groups is as follows:
The employed persons aged 15 - 64 years are 3 042.0 thousand. The employment rate for the population in the same age group was 69.5% (73.1% for men and 65.8% for women).
The employment rate for the population aged 15-29 is 36.7% (41.5% for men and 31.6% for women).
The employment rate for the population aged 20-64 is 74.5%, respectively 78.5% for men and 70.5% for women.
The employed persons aged 55 - 64 years were 610.1 thousand, or 66.2% of the population in the same age group (71.1% of men and 61.6% of women).
Unemployment
In the third quarter of 2021, 150.6 thousand people were unemployed, of which 85.4 thousand (56.7%) were men and 65.1 thousand (43.3%) were women. The unemployment rate is 4.6%, 4.8% for men and 4.3% for women.
Of all unemployed persons, 15.0% have higher education, 51.9% - with secondary education, and 33.1% - with primary or lower education. Unemployment rates by level of education are 2.1% for higher education, 4.3% for secondary education and 12.8% for primary and lower education, respectively.
In the third quarter of 2021 the number of unemployed persons with a duration of unemployment of less than one year was 73.0 thousand (48.5% of all unemployed), and that of the long-term unemployed (unemployed of one or more years) - 77.6 thousand (51.5%) ). The long-term unemployment rate is 2.4%, 2.6% for men and 2.1% for women, respectively.
Of the total number of unemployed persons 120.9 thousand, or 80.3%, had a previous job, which they left due to dismissal, redundancy or forced termination of business, termination of seasonal or other temporary work and other reasons, and 29.7 thousand, or 19.7 %, looking for a first job.
In the third quarter of 2021 the unemployment rate for the age group 15 - 29 years was 10.3%, respectively 10.7% for men and 9.8% for women.
Economic inactivity
In the third quarter of 2021 the total number of economically inactive persons (persons outside the labor force) was 2,588.1 thousand, of which 1,047.3 thousand (40.5%) were men and 1,540.8 thousand (59.5%) were women. The economically inactive persons aged 15 - 64 are 1,187.6 thousand, or 27.1% of the population in the same age group.
Slight GDP growth for the third quarter Q3
In the third quarter of 2021 the gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.4% compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year and by 0.9% compared to the second quarter of 2021 according to seasonally adjusted data.
According to the express estimates of the NSI for the third quarter of 2021, the GDP in nominal terms reaches BGN 35,577.2 million. The realized value added in the third quarter of 2021 is BGN 30,652.5 million.
By elements of final use, the largest share in GDP is occupied by final consumption with 74.9%, which in value terms amounts to BGN 26,633.2 million. In the third quarter of 2021, gross capital formation was BGN 7,235.8 million and accounted for 20.3% of GDP. The foreign trade balance is positive.
Quarterly changes
In the third quarter of 2021, compared to the previous quarter, GDP according to seasonally adjusted data increased by 0.9%. For the same period the gross value added increased by 1.7%.
According to the express estimates of GDP by elements of final use in the third quarter of 2021, the reason for the registered economic growth according to seasonally adjusted data compared to the previous quarter is the increase in final consumption by 1.8%.
Annual changes
In the third quarter of 2021, GDP according to seasonally adjusted data increased by 0.4% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Gross value added increased by 0.3%.
Final consumption registered an increase of 5.1%, while gross fixed capital formation decreased by 3.0% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year according to seasonally adjusted data. Exports of goods and services increased by 12.5% and imports of goods and services increased by 11.1%.
