09.10.2023
SUCCESS TECHNIQUES
MORE RESULTS IN LESS TIME
We all know one way to get more done in the day - to spend more time working. However, this approach goes hand in hand with serious drawbacks.
Long hours rob you of time for other things in life, from relationships to hobbies and exercise. They can wear you out, causing a drop in productivity in the long run. Sometimes this approach causes you to lose sight of the bigger picture, distracting yourself from the important tasks that can really move you forward toward your goals.
What entrepreneurs ideally want is not to work more, but to get more work done within the hours they've already put in. There are many people offering ways to do this, but few have as much credibility as James Clear and Google productivity coach Laura May Martin.
Location is more important than you think
James Clear, for those who aren't already familiar with him, is a blogger, productivity guru, and bestselling author of the Atomic Habit. Many entrepreneurs swear that his ideas have transformed their lives. Google needs no introduction, as the company is well known for its data-driven approach to work and highly cited research on workplace topics such as hiring, management and productivity.
So what do both authorities suggest you do if you magically want to get more work done in the same amount of time? Clear explains that achieving this little professional miracle can be as simple as changing where you do your work.
"Let's say you're trying to build a new reading habit," Clear says in his new online lecture. “But whenever you sit down on your couch, you find yourself getting distracted and turning on the TV. The solution isn't to berate yourself or cancel your Netflix subscription, but to create a 'reading zone' in a comfortable corner," he explains.
“You can apply the same kind of philosophy ... to any habit you're trying to build. The more that habit is tied to a specific context, the more it's tied to a special area where you develop it, the more likely that habit is to become long-term," adds Clear.
Another expert recommends creating "hotspots"
Creating a comfortable workspace for admin tasks or a "creativity corner" where you write sounds reasonable and cozy, but can it really affect your productivity? If you're looking for another expert to back up Clear's claim that this simple change can be transformative, then you might want to listen to Laura May Martin, Google's in-house productivity coach.
Martin shared some tips for getting more results with less effort, including one that's almost identical to Clear's. “Our brains make associations with the sights, sounds and smells associated with certain places. "When we regularly do activity in the same place, it makes it easier to 'get in the zone' every time we return to the same place," she says on Google's blog.
You can put this into practice by creating “hot spots” where you always do certain types of work. Create links like, "I always answer customer emails from this coffee shop in my building." And "I'm always reading the news on the porch." "Your brain will associate these activities with places and make switching between tasks easier," she explains.
You can even use the same logic to improve your rest by creating an area (like in the bedroom) where you do nothing but relax.
So if you want to get more done in the same amount of time, the answer may be as simple as a change of scenery. By choosing a specific location for different tasks and sticking to it, you train your brain to go in the right direction faster for that type of work. The end result is more productivity with less effort.
09.10.2023
10% INCREASE IN SALARIES IN BULGARIA IN 2023. AS A RESULT OF INFLATION
The salary increase in 2023 is about 10 percent as a result of inflation, according to a study by "Mercer Marsh Benefits" of remuneration and benefits for 2023. The company annually conducts the study in Bulgaria, tracking trends among employers and their employees, the company said.
The results of the survey were presented by Stella Yulzari, senior consultant at Mercer. This year, the survey covers 493 companies (7 percent growth compared to 2022) and 127,562 employees from 14 different economic sectors. The largest number of participants in the company's research are with "Manufacturing" and "High Technologies" profiles.
The study focuses not just on employee pay, but on the full remuneration package, which includes: gross salary; the guaranteed cash reward; the total monetary remuneration (reflecting various bonuses); total direct remuneration (with long-term incentives such as shares and options) and total annual remuneration (including various benefits such as a company car, pension provision, health insurance and life insurance). The Mercer Marsh Benefits study considered the factors nature of work and employee hierarchy, part of the Mercer Code Library that facilitates employee classification.
The results regarding personnel turnover in our country indicate that there is a slight decrease in the increase in the number of personnel on the part of employers - 46 percent, compared to 54 percent for 2022. At the same time, voluntary turnover is regaining its pace from before the pandemic and there is a greater tendency to make a decision to change the workplace compared to last year, commented the authors of the study.
According to the data on salary increases in Bulgaria, the three main factors for salary increases are performance, place in the range and inflation.
"In 2023, employers will catch up with inflation, which testifies to more effective budget planning and reflection of economic reality," said Stella Yulzari.
"The wage increase in 2023 is around 10 percent for the various sectors, which is largely due to employers catching up with the inflation that started last year," she added.
The increase in wages on the basis of career groups is most noticeable for employees holding positions at the operational level - 12.1 percent, which is due to the low pay in the relevant group and the need for financial incentives for the same in order to cope with inflation. This is followed by the group of specialists (11 percent), management (10.7 percent) and top management (9.6 percent).
Trends in gross wages by sector indicate that remuneration has grown fastest and most consistently in the High Technology, Outsourced Services and Pharmaceuticals sectors.
Sofia is the only region in Bulgaria with higher wages than the national average - 6 percent, while in North-West Bulgaria the wages are the lowest, as much as 35 percent below the national average. The reasons are rooted in the fast-growing and high-tech sectors, which are mainly located in the capital, at the expense of the manufacturing, commercial and financial sectors, whose employees are mainly in the countryside.
Data from the survey also indicate that 87 percent of companies have a variable remuneration scheme, which is expressed in bonuses and bonuses for employees. 9 out of 10 of the latter are entitled to such benefits, and 8 out of 10 managers receive their bonus on an annual basis.
Special benefits are most often health insurance (84 percent), mobile phone (80 percent) and food vouchers (74 percent). The latter occupy third place (compared to sixth in the past year 2022), which is due to the legislative changes concerning tax credits in the amount for food vouchers.
In presenting the study, emphasis was also placed on the Directive of the European Parliament to strengthen the implementation of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.
Tatyana Dobreva, a consultant in the Mercer team in Bulgaria, presented more information about the upcoming changes as a result of the Directive. According to current statistics, in most countries at the global level, including Bulgaria, there are no regulatory requirements for reporting gender pay differences. The latest figures for Europe from 2021 show that the most noticeable gender pay gap is in Estonia (20.5 per cent), Austria (18.8 per cent) and Switzerland (17.7 per cent), while the most equal are the employees in Luxembourg, Romania and Slovenia, respectively with – 0.2 per cent, 3.6 per cent and 3.8 per cent deviations.
Bulgaria ranks in the middle of the ranking with a 12.2 percent pay gap. The introduction of the European directive will lead to the need for its implementation in the Bulgarian legislation, the authors of the study indicate. This innovation, in turn, would impose specific requirements on employers in Bulgaria in order to implement tools to track remuneration trends, such as the function of the Mercer Marsh Benefits detector to calculate equality in pay.
During the event, the local context in the field of benefits was also presented with a discussion panel on the topic "Well-being and sustainability of employees", moderated by Jacqueline Nikolova, head of "Mercer Marsh Benefits Bulgaria". Representatives of companies from several key sectors in Bulgaria took part in it. Among them were Boyka Doceva - head of human resources at IBM Bulgaria, Veneta Stoilova - head of human resources at EVN Bulgaria, Miglena Uzunova - senior director of "Human Resources" at A1 and Radoslava Krosneva - director of "Human Resources" at DSK.
They outlined that in Bulgaria it can no longer be about accidental initiatives, but about a standard for employers who strive for sustainability and social commitment for their employees.
"Well-being and initiatives are no longer done for their own sake, but are part of the companies' culture", summarized Jacqueline Nikolova.
Dan Dobre, Mercer Marsh Benefits regional leader for growth and solutions for Germany, presented the global trends that Mercer examines annually in a survey of CEOs, HR managers and employees in more than 140 countries around the world.
"When we ask CFOs and COOs of companies what their main concerns are, for 87 percent of them it is the crises, 52 percent are worried about inflation, and a quarter of them expect it to be higher in 2023 compared to 2022." Dan Dobre said.
"Our survey shows that 49 percent of respondents are more worried about inflation than recession. However, most of them are prepared to face an economic crisis of some kind and do not expect it to have consequences like the financial crisis of 2008, when we've seen a lot of layoffs. They say that even if there's a recession, they're prepared because they have higher standards as employers. That means we as organizations have to be more prepared and be more resilient, something that "Mercer Marsh Benefits" has practiced as a policy for years. In practice, this means focusing on company culture, adopting new, flexible work models, creating scalable organizations, diversity, equity and continuity, adaptability," added Dan Dobre.
06.10.2023
SUCCESS TECHNIQUES
THE OTHER SKILLSET - 4 WAYS TO SUCCEED WHEN YOUR BOSS KNOWS LESS THAN YOU
What to do if the new manager has less experience than his subordinates? Take advantage of this excellent development opportunity!
Let's say you have been working for a long time in the same place. You have extensive experience, excellent relationships with colleagues, advanced skills and qualifications. One fine day a new manager comes in who has a lot of ideas but significantly less experience than you. Sounds familiar? At first glance, this is not the best situation, but a boss with skills and knowledge turns out to be useful and exciting.
There are three reasons why we may find ourselves working under someone with less experience more often than ever.
First, we work longer hours today, which is why several generations find themselves side by side in the workplace in most large companies. Flexible work schedules, greater age diversity, and changing career goals and aspirations make it more likely that more experienced workers will work alongside less experienced managers.
Second, telecommuting has become commonplace, which means you and your manager are likely to spend much less time working together on the same issues. Therefore, the manager has almost no involvement in what you are working on.
Third, middle managers are increasingly moving from one job to another. This means that there is a high probability that one day you will find that the new manager does not have enough experience in his field. As Steve Jobs said, “There's no point in hiring smart people and telling them what to do; we hire smart people to tell us what to do." Managers are hired for different reasons and with different skills.
With the right approach, having a manager with less experience can boost creativity and out-of-the-box thinking and help achieve goals. Here are four tips to help you succeed.
Use the differences
Having a leader with a diverse set of skills and experience is an asset to innovation and productivity in your business. Differences provide an opportunity to share information and consider opportunities from alternative perspectives, which can foster creativity and productivity. The age difference between you and your manager can further amplify this effect. By using the differences, you will be ready for new challenges. Small disagreements with a leader who has different skills and experience stimulate creativity.
Seek advice
To achieve your goals, you need to look into the future and get meaningful feedback on how your performance is measured today. However, the longer we work in the same company or position, the less proactive we become when it comes to seeking feedback from others. In other words, our experience can be a barrier to seeking new perspectives, especially from those with less knowledge. If your boss has less experience or understanding in a particular area of expertise, try asking them for advice. Such a request builds trust and encourages conversation about future goals and new, valuable perspectives. This is because the best advice is not always given by those with the most relevant skills and experience.
Be curious
There are significant benefits to curiosity at work. Curiosity increases creativity, reduces errors, improves communication and productivity. Individual curiosity is important for adapting to career changes and challenges, and it is also important for persistent pursuit of goals. Curiosity is believed to be a key trait in the extraordinary success of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. When working with a leader who has different experiences and knowledge, being curious about their personality and way of thinking builds trust and rapport. Curiosity helps build stronger relationships and creates a common ground on which collaboration and innovation can flourish.
Collaboration
Small changes in the workplace can make a big difference in how we feel about and perform our role. The arrival of a new leader is an ideal opportunity to work together to redefine your personal contribution to what you find most important, exciting and meaningful. These changes can expand relationships, allow you to become a leader, or focus more attention on specific important projects. To ensure that your responsibilities serve common goals and support motivation and creative thinking, working with the new manager will help you be more effective. Working together can also shape the direction of your career and give you more autonomy, especially in areas where you may be exceptionally skilled.
Today, more than ever, there are often situations where we are better qualified, experienced and specialized than our managers. Remember that a manager requires different skills than specialists who work in a team. In most cases, having a supervisor who knows less than you opens up opportunities for new perspectives, innovations, and steps toward more meaningful experience.
06.10.2023
WORKING TIME FOR REMOTE WORK
Comment from the specialist
The term "working time" means the time established by law, another regulatory act, a collective labor agreement or an individual labor contract, during which the worker or employee is obliged to be available to the employer on the territory of the enterprise or in another place determined by him.
During this time, the worker or employee carries out various types of work and fulfills duties according to his profession, specialty and qualification in accordance with the clauses of the individual employment contract, the rules for the internal labor rules of the enterprise and the collective labor agreement. The employer is obliged to promptly provide the necessary conditions for the performance of labor duties.
Working time is one of the measures of any type of work and represents a period of time during which work is carried out. It is an inherent measure of a number of rights and obligations of the worker or employee, which are directly or indirectly related to the amount of work performed.
Bulgarian labor legislation regulates various forms of working time in order to ensure more flexible employment opportunities, as well as maximum use of the opportunities for employment under several employment contracts.
With the planned amendments to the labor legislation regulating remote work, it is planned to introduce specific norms related to the regulation of working hours in this mode of work. What are they and how will they be applied, comments Dr. Todor Kapitanov, an expert in labor law.
Changes related to reporting of work done and control of working hours are proposed. It is regulated that the working hours of the worker and the employee who performs remote work are established in the individual employment contract in accordance with the requirements of the Labor Code, the collective labor agreement and the rules for the internal labor order in the enterprise.
When organizing working hours, it is expressly required to observe the minimum amounts of inter-day and weekly rest established by law. The right is reserved for the worker or the employee who performs remote work to organize his own working hours (subject to the agreed working hours and the breaks provided for in the Labor Code) so that he is available and works at the time in which the employer is in a communication relationship with third parties. These changes guarantee the right to rest in accordance with the general requirements of labor legislation, preserving the possibility of flexibility in the organization of work on the part of the worker or employee.
The proposed changes do not cancel the requirement that the actual time worked be reflected monthly in a document according to a model approved by the employer. In this case, the worker or the employee performing remote work is responsible for the reliability of the data. In view of the increasingly widespread use of information systems for the organization and reporting of work, an alternative possibility to report the actual time worked through an automated system is regulated.
In this way, an opportunity is provided to reduce the administrative burden, as the accounting of the time worked will not require the filling of a separate document by the worker or the employee and, accordingly, the processing of the information by the employer, and for this it will be possible to use the information systems.
In this case, the employer is obliged, upon request, to provide the worker or the employee who works remotely with access to the data in the system for the working time worked by him. Security is created for the worker or employee, who will have information about the reported working time, which is related to his labor and insurance rights.
05.10.2023
NEW CHANGES TO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
Development and introduction of a new list of vocations for vocational education and training, which will provide training in broad-spectrum professions with the possibility of upgrading the acquired vocational qualification, provides for changes to the Law on Vocational Education and Training, submitted to parliament.
The bill provides for four degrees of professional qualification, and they are required:
The possibility of distance training in an electronic environment for persons over 16 years of age, at the discretion of the director of the institution and in the presence of a technical ability.
In order to increase the opportunities for mobility and employment of the acquired professional qualification, the accumulation of loans is replaced by the accumulation and transfer of units of results from learning in vocational education and in vocational training.
The proposed legal provisions for the accumulation and transfer of units of the results of learning in vocational education and training are an opportunity for persons who have reached individual units of learning results, to accumulate them to recognize qualification by profession or by part of a profession, and to transfer them from One profession in another of the same field of education, thus ensuring flexibility and patency in the qualification system, writes in the reasons for the bill.
Many of the qualification courses organized for persons over 16 are for the acquisition of professional qualification by part of the profession. Therefore, the law provides for opportunities for qualifying for part of the profession to be defined in the state educational standard. It is regulated that vocational training in part of a profession should include the achievement of at least three units of learning results, with at least one unit of learning results being from specific vocational training.
04.10.2023
NEARLY 6,250 UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE TRAININGS
The Executive Director of the Employment Agency Smilen Valov signed contracts with social partners for the implementation of projects under the National Employment Action Plan in 2023.
The projects will provide an opportunity for 6,246 unemployed persons to participate in training for the acquisition of a professional qualification and/or key competence, and at least 35% of them will be included in employment afterwards.
The trainings are aimed at vulnerable groups on the labor market - unemployed up to 29 years or over 50 years old, long-term unemployed, persons with low or unsought professional qualifications and a lack of key competences, including those with low education , as well as to persons outside the labor force, discouraged persons or persons granted temporary protection status. A comprehensive approach will be applied to them, including the provision of training, internships and employment for a period of no less than 3 months in the primary labor market or in subsidized jobs, and the funding will be shared between the state and employers.
Despite the significant changes in the economic and social situation as a result of the negative processes in the world economy and the conflict in Ukraine, the expectations are that the planned trainings will fully meet the current needs of business personnel in its development.
In 2023, the projects will be implemented not only in large, but also in small settlements throughout the country. The trainings are for a wide range of professions - builders, cooks, salespeople, office assistants, computer operators, tailors, social assistants, welders, cashiers, tour guides, electricians and many others and are in response to specific needs stated by employers from the real and public sector.
The skills possessed by the workforce are increasingly important for employers, which is why it is envisaged that a large part of the unemployed persons included in the projects will undergo training and acquire public and civic competences or initiative and entrepreneurship, learning skills or digital competence.
The projects of the social partners to be implemented in 2023 are:
Project "AIM FORWARD" of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria - provides for the inclusion of 840 unemployed persons in training for the acquisition of key competences and professional training in 16 professions, of which at least 298 persons will be included in employment.
In the activities of the project "KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR WORK - 2" of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, it is planned to include 896 unemployed persons in training in 17 professions and acquisition of personal, social competence and competence to acquire learning skills. 320 persons will be provided with employment in the profession acquired through the project training.
According to the project "PROVIDING QUALITY LABOR" of the Bulgarian Industrial Association, trainings on "Personal skills for employment" will be held for 380 persons and "Models for dialogue in an intercultural environment" for 160 persons. A total of 885 unemployed people will acquire professional qualifications in 16 different professions, and 316 of them will be provided with employment in the profession acquired by the training.
The activities of the "PROSPERITY" project of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry envisage the inclusion of 888 unemployed persons in training in 12 professions and the acquisition of digital, personal, social, civic, entrepreneurial competence or competence to acquire learning skills. 312 persons will be provided with employment in the profession acquired through the project training.
The "CHANCE FOR GREEN AND ECOLOGICAL EMPLOYMENT" project of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria includes training for 969 persons in six professions. Employment will be ensured for at least 64.4% of the unemployed persons included in the project trainings, and the employment will be in accordance with the acquired qualification under the project.
Under the PROJECT "HORIZONTI 8" of the Confederation of Labor "PODKREPA", trainings will be held on the key competence "Personal competence, social competence and competence to acquire learning skills" on the topic "Teamwork skills" for 488 persons, on the topic "Personal and social competence and acquisition of learning skills" for 120 persons and on the topic "Skills for competitive inclusion in the labor market" for 273 persons. A total of 881 persons will acquire qualifications in 19 professions. After the successful completion of the training, employment will be provided to 355 persons.
PROJECT "OPPORTUNITY FOR DEVELOPMENT" of the Union for Business Initiative will give 136 unemployed people the opportunity to undergo training in the key competence "Digital Competence". The persons included will have the opportunity to undergo professional training in one of the 25 professions foreseen. This will give a chance to at least 325 of the 813 trained persons to be placed in suitable jobs requested by employers - project partners.
04.10.2023
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT AGAINST AGREED COMPENSATION
What are the requirements for termination of employment at the initiative of the employer against agreed compensation?
According to Art. 331, para. 1 of the Labor Code, the employer may, on his own initiative, offer the worker or employee termination of the employment contract against compensation. If the worker or employee does not make a written decision on the proposal within 7 days, it is considered that it has not been accepted. In para. 2 of Art. 331 of the Labor Code provides that if the worker or employee accepts the offer under para. 1, the employer owes him compensation in the amount of not less than four times the amount of the last received monthly gross remuneration, unless the parties have agreed on a larger amount of compensation. That is, negotiating the amount of compensation depends on the will of both parties. The law does not provide an upper limit for compensation. If the compensation is not paid within one month from the date of termination of the employment contract, the reason for its termination shall be deemed to have expired.
The provision of Art. 228 of the Labor Code regulates that the gross remuneration for determining benefits under Section III of Chapter X of the Labor Code is the gross remuneration received by the worker or employee for the month preceding the month in which the basis for the corresponding compensation arose, or the last monthly gross remuneration received by the worker or employee, unless otherwise provided.
According to Art. 17, para. 1 of the Ordinance on the structure and organization of the salary in the gross remuneration for determining benefits under Art. 228 of the Labor Code (that is, also for the compensation under Art. 331, para. 2 of the Labor Code, unless otherwise agreed) include: 1. the basic salary for the time worked; 2. the remuneration above the basic salary, determined according to the applied labor payment systems; 3. the additional labor remunerations determined by the ordinance, by another normative act, by a collective or individual labor contract or by an internal act of the employer, which are of a permanent nature; 4. the additional labor remuneration in case of internal replacement under Art. 259 of the Labor Code; 5. the remuneration in accordance with Art. 266, para. 1 of the Labor Code; 6. the remuneration paid during downtime or due to production necessity, under Art. 267, para. 1 and 3 of the Labor Code; 7. the remuneration pursuant to Art. 268, para. 2 and 3 of the Labor Code.
03.10.2023
THE EMPLOYMENT RECORD BOOK EXPIRES AFTER A YEAR
After one year, the paper work book will finally disappear, the National Assembly adopted the changes to the Labor Code in the second reading.
For a period of up to one year, the National Revenue Agency will have to upgrade its register, and within this year workers will continue to present their paper book to employers and institutions.
An electronic register of employment maintained by the National Revenue Agency will also be created, in which all data from the employment book will be entered.
Thus, workers will have full access to their employment record, and employers will be able to automate internal processes through human resource management systems, automatically sending data to the registry.
The parents, guardians and guardians of workers and employees under the age of 18 have the right to access the relevant unified electronic labor record until the child turns 18, the deputies wrote.
The worker or employee has the right to information about the history of accesses to his unified electronic labor record, except for the cases of access by the authorities of pre-trial proceedings in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code and the State Agency for National Security.
Employers have the right to information about their employed workers and employees entered by previous employers, with the exception of the amount of wages and benefits that the worker or employee received from previous employers.
When, after June 1, 2025, the employment record is lost or destroyed, the relevant Directorate "Labor Inspection" shall issue a new one and enter data on the work experience acquired before June 1, 2025, based on a written application-declaration of the worker or employee, to which are attached certificates from the employers where he worked, as well as other original documents containing these data, the National Assembly also votes.
02.10.2023
CHECK OUT THE NEW TRANSLATION ACCOUNTS TO THE NRA
The new bank accounts are published on the NRA website, which will make payments to the revenue agency as of today, October 2, 2023.
When ordering the closed accounts after that date, the servicing bank will return the taxpayers' money to the account from which they made the transfer.
Each of the new bank accounts is intended for repayment of a certain obligation: taxes, state social security contributions, health insurance contributions, additional compulsory pension contributions, forced collection of public receivables.
Citizens and companies from all over the country will pay the relevant type of obligation on the specified account, regardless of which NRA structure they are registered at a permanent address or management address, reminds the revenue agency.
Citizens and companies can continue to repay their obligations without fees by using the physical POS terminals in the offices of the Revenue Agency, as well as the virtual POS (the e-service for payment) in the NRA Electronic Services Portal.
02.10.2023
IS THERE RESISTANCE IN OUR COUNTRY AGAINST RETRAINING?
About 37,000 Bulgarians have completed or are currently attending vocational qualification and retraining courses in the centers licensed by the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training.
About 1/3 of those visiting vocational training centers want to start their own business, says Luba Krasteva, chief expert at the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training.
The motivation of people of active age to retrain in order to keep their jobs is not enough, experts report.
"If we do not retrain, there is a risk of falling far behind, into the group of the permanently unemployed," warns Tsvetan Spasov, head of the OP "Development of Human Resources" at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.
A huge resource has been set aside for training in digital skills to catch up, leading to a slight rise in unemployment, he points out, giving the example of a group of 150,000 low-skilled people struggling to find work and having a long history of registration in the labor offices.
The national campaign "Time to update" in the summer has shown that technology has already entered our manufacturing enterprises.
Woodworking companies are no longer looking for carpenters, but programmers. In sugar factories, only 4-5 years ago, 16 people were required to work in 2 shifts to fold about 2,000 candy boxes, now one woman folds 24,000 boxes in 8 hours.
We are no longer in the years of classic professions that we work all our lives, Tsvetan Spasov also points out. According to him, until the Bulgarian does not understand that he must be flexible, whatever the administration does, it is difficult to change the statistics, which are not positive at the moment.
Things are not as bleak as they seem according to the statistics. Vocational training centers are already quite popular both among employers and non-governmental organizations, believes Antoaneta Katsarova, director of "Vocational Training" at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce. According to her, Bulgarian workers and employees have enough opportunities to develop their skills.
Katsarova is adamant that with the introduction of robotization in production, unattractive labor will decrease, and by retraining, people will retain their ability to work servicing machines of a new generation.
"What will change is people becoming more highly skilled, not unemployed. These robots are created by people, people service them, people control these processes."
"There is a psychological barrier to be overcome in the entire population - it turns out that the more qualified a person is, the more he is qualified. Those who are not qualified have no desire. In the older generation there is a perception - I have studied, I have graduated, this is what I will be working on all my life. This is partly where the resistance to upgrade qualifications, to obtain a new one comes from. With the younger generation, this approach has been greatly changed," emphasizes Katsarova.
People, especially those with lower education, in villages, older people still do not believe that training and education make them more competitive in the labor market, commented Zornitsa Slavova from the Institute for Market Economy.
According to the National Employment Action Plan, training in digital skills is planned for half a million people - the most large-scale training in history, she notes.
There is still a huge shortage of suitable personnel. This is a major factor for employers not to expand their operations. They must train them, that is, education does not provide the necessary skills for a person to be directly employed, adds Slavova. "The employer must educate and train him."
