17.03.2022
MONTANA COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR TAILORS, IRONERS, SELLERS
Ten people lost their jobs in the Montana area every day. The number of people without earnings increased by 4 percent per month. This is shown by the data in early February of the Regional Employment Service - Montana.
There are already 6,050 active-age residents in the labor market. For a month, 232 people joined the army of people without a livelihood. The number of unemployed is most seriously increasing in Georgi Damyanovo - by more than 16 percent. Between 9.2 per cent in Chiprovtsi and 4.5 per cent in Varshets, it is increasing in six municipalities. It is lowest in Boychinovtsi (0.6%), Vulchedrum (2.7%) and Berkovitsa (3.9%), according to DRSZ statistics. Yakimovo continues to have a high unemployment rate. There it again exceeded 41 percent. Valchedrum, Chiprovtsi, Boychinovtsi, Medkovets, Brusartsi can also be included in this group, where the indicator varies from 31.1 to 20.1 percent. Traditionally, the figure is low in Montana - 4.1 percent. Below 10 percent is the level only in Berkovitsa and Lom.
For the period every third is released from private companies. They sent 270 people to the stock exchange. More than half of the rest are women. 59 percent of people have been laid off in the service sector. Of the industrial companies, 15.8 percent of the citizens left without a livelihood have been fired.
The share of the long-term unemployed of 45.6 percent remains very high in the region. These are people who have been without income for more than a year. More than half of them are over 50 years old. Almost 59 percent have primary and lower education, and two out of three have no major.
For a month, 244 vacancies have been announced in the labor offices in the district of Montana. An average of 16 people competed for each of them. In Lom, one position was contested by 31 people. In Berkovitsa, 16 candidates applied for each job position. In Montana, 10 citizens wanted a position. The largest share of the declared places on the primary labor market are in the manufacturing industry (33.4%), followed by government (22.8%), education (10.1%), trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (6.7%), transport, hotels and restaurants.
17.03.2022
BULGARIA HAS A RESERVE ON THE LABOR MARKET OF OVER 1 MILLION ADULTS OF WORKING AGE, URGENT POLICIES ARE NEEDED TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT
Bulgaria has a reserve on the labor market of over 1 million adults of working age, urgent policies are needed to increase employment. A total of 170,000 are young people who neither work nor study, 360,000 are unemployed from ethnic minorities, 290,000 are people, mostly women, who cannot work because they are caring for children or adults in the family. Another 190,000 are unemployed due to illness or disability, and the older unemployed of working age (55-64) are about 340,000.
These are data for 2019, reflected in the final report on a partnership project of the Bulgarian Employment Agency, implemented jointly with the European Commission (EC) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The report is published on the OECD website. The document is a result of the assessment of the institutional framework and current policies for activating inactive people in Bulgaria under the project "Reforming existing and designing new measures for activating inactive people and their inclusion in the labor market in Bulgaria."
By 2050 Bulgaria will lose nearly a third of its working age population, our country is the fastest declining in the world
Bulgaria faces structural challenges affecting the long-term prospects of its labor market. The unfavorable demographic dynamics, combining rapid population aging and severe depopulation due to low birth rates and emigration, are among the most serious challenges facing the country, the report said.
It recalls that, according to recent forecasts, Bulgaria will lose nearly a third of its working age population by 2050, making it the fastest shrinking country in the world. Until then, one third of adults in Bulgaria will be aged 65 or over, which is likely to lead to labor market shortages and stress on Bulgaria's social security system. Therefore, efforts to create a set of policies designed to maximize employment will be vital to alleviate the effects of a rapidly shrinking workforce, the document said. According to experts, sound and effective labor market policies are needed, which should be evidence-based and take into account the experience of other countries in order to be effective.
In Bulgaria, employment among the highly educated is among the highest in the EU - 89 percent
The second structural challenge facing the Bulgarian labor market is the high degree of its unevenness, the report said. Employment of the highly educated is among the highest in the EU - 89 percent in the group of 15-64-year-olds in 2019, while employment among the low-educated is significantly lower - only 38 percent. Similarly, both employment and wage levels are significantly higher in the economically richer areas than in the poorer and more remote parts of the country, and employment data vary significantly across ethnic groups. For example, the employment of men of Roma origin of working age is 51 percent, compared to 65 percent for men of Turkish origin and 76 percent for ethnic Bulgarians. For women, the differences are even greater: in employment, respectively, 31 percent, 48 percent and 71 percent for women of ethnic Roma, Turkish and Bulgarian origin.
About 900,000 adults of working age are unemployed or inactive, many of them from vulnerable groups furthest from the labor market
Despite the improvements in the labor market achieved by Bulgaria in recent years, there are about 900,000 adults of working age who are unemployed or inactive (excluding students). Among this unemployed population, 15 percent are unemployed (i.e. available for employment and effective job search), and the remaining 85 percent are inactive (i.e. out of the workforce). Although inactivity and unemployment are widespread among many different groups, some sections of the population are particularly affected and are at high risk of becoming or remaining inactive or unemployed, the report said.
Bulgaria is a leader in young people who neither study nor work
These groups include the unemployed, uneducated and untrained young people - NEETs - about 170,000 people in 2019.
Bulgaria has one of the highest percentages of such young people in the EU - 17 percent, compared to 13 percent in the EU, which highlights the need for additional efforts in this area. Young people have been hardest hit by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the labor market. In the second quarter of 2020, the number of 15-24 year olds decreased sharply by 17 percent compared to a year earlier, while the effect on workers aged 25 and over was much smaller and the decrease was only 5 percent. This has again led to an increase in the percentage of NEETs - 18 percent in 2020, compared to the European average of 14 percent.
The analysis of income and living conditions statistics (SILC) shows that about 42 percent of young NEETs are Roma. Activation of NEETs is particularly important because the inability to increase human capital or skills can lead to long-term negative effects, reaching alarming proportions, the report said.
Another high-risk group is the unemployed from ethnic minorities (360,000 in 2019): Roma are affected by much higher unemployment than other ethnic groups and they face many barriers and challenges in terms of their participation in the market of labor. The Turkish community also faces relatively high levels of inactivity, especially among women, albeit to a lesser extent than the Roma community. In total, there are about 240,000 Roma of working age who neither work nor study, and less than a fifth of them are in contact with the Employment Agency. For the Turkish minority, estimates put the number of 123,000 adults of working age who neither work nor study.
Caring for family and family responsibilities is one of the most common reasons for inactivity in the labor market
Unemployed due to caring for close and family commitments are 290,000 in 2019. Caring for close and family responsibilities is the most common reason for inactivity in Bulgaria, in addition to training, the report said. This barrier affects women in particular, who make up the majority of people caring for loved ones and family commitments as their main barrier to not looking for work.
We have the longest leave for mothers, measures are needed to include fathers, as well as more opportunities for a reduced working day
Bulgaria provides one of the longest maternity leave in the EU (more than two years in total, including both maternity leave and less generously paid parental leave). Like most other EU countries, Bulgaria provides much shorter paternity leave (about two weeks), the report said. To encourage fathers to play a greater role in childcare, some countries, e.g. Sweden and Iceland have increased paternity leave, sometimes on a "use it or lose it" basis.
Other policies that can bring about cultural change can also help parents. For example, greater access to affordable care and the ability to work part-time can help parents balance their responsibilities for raising children and their work. However, the number of day care centers is limited, especially in rural areas, and Bulgaria has a culture of full-time work, with less than 2 per cent of workers working part-time, the lowest in the EU. In addition, wages for reduced working hours in Bulgaria are often too low to ensure a decent living, experts say.
Many unemployed women, for family reasons, often face other barriers to participation in the labor market - especially barriers related to skills and experience, including lack of up-to-date professional experience (while raising children), low level of education or previous low-skilled activities, the report said.
Bulgaria has the lowest employment rates among people with health problems
The third group at particular risk is the unemployed due to illness and disability - 190,000 in 2019. Disabilities are a common cause of inactivity, and employment rates for people with health problems are among the lowest in the EU.
Older unemployed people of working age (55-64 years) - about 340,000 in 2019 are the other problem group. Although employment rates for older people are higher than the EU average and have risen sharply in recent years, they remain well below the level for the main adult group. Given the large number of people aged 55-64 who do not work and due to the growing share of older people in the Bulgarian population, the activation of older people would have the potential to contribute to reducing the effects of declining and aging populations and will decide labor shortage problems.
The employment rates of older people (aged 55-64) have increased very significantly over the last decade, from 45% in 2011 to 64% in 2020. This increase is closely linked to the gradual increase in the official retirement age. However, a rapid decline in the labor force in Bulgaria and the need to further increase the work experience of older workers to alleviate labor shortages is projected. Although the employment of 55-64-year-olds is now higher than the EU average, it is still at least 10 percentage points lower than in leading EU countries, experts say.
Among men aged 60-64 who do not work, less than one in six is registered with the Employment Agency, although they have not yet reached the official retirement age. This practice is partly related to financial demotivating factors for working in the pension system, which reduces the desire of older people to work.
The most common barriers to labor market inclusion are related to skills, family care, health barriers and living in remote areas.
The most common barriers related to labor market participation for the inactive and unemployed in Bulgaria are related to skills (limited education or professional experience), barriers related to family (care for relatives), health barriers and geographical barriers (living in remote settlements without a vehicle), the report states.
Certain barriers to the labor market affect some inactive and unemployed groups much more than other groups. A total of 42 percent of the unemployed Roma face a geographical barrier - compared to 21 percent of the total inactive population. Nearly half of the inactive or unemployed aged 55-64 have a significant or long-term health barrier - compared to one third of all inactive and one tenth of all unemployed. In many cases, the inactive and the unemployed face several barriers to employment at the same time.
A total of 75 percent of the inactive and 61 percent of the unemployed face at least two significant barriers to employment - compared to 18 percent of those working.
Different activation solutions are needed to meet the needs of different groups
To help different unemployed groups overcome their barriers, activation solutions should be combined to address multiple barriers and meet individual needs. In particular, in some cases, support from the Employment Agency should be combined with additional services provided by other institutions and aimed at e.g. to barriers of a health nature or social difficulties in order to be effective, the report said.
Bulgaria spends only 0.16 percent of GDP on active labor market policies, less than half of the EU average
Despite significant progress in the Bulgarian labor market over the past decade and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, employment levels in Bulgaria rose from below 60 percent among 15-64 year olds 10 years ago to 68.5 percent at the end of 2021, according to data presented in the report. However, in order to activate as many inactive people as possible, Bulgaria needs to redirect resources to policies that work best and increase support for those most in need, according to the OECD report. Bulgaria spends only 0.16 percent of GDP on active labor market policies (ALMPs), less than half of the EU average (0.39 percent). In addition, two thirds of Bulgaria's spending on ALMPs goes to direct job creation programs, while other types of programs are less common. The OECD recommends a reorientation towards retraining and retraining of workers, as well as targeted programs to support employment in the primary labor market.
The proposals of Bulgarian experts
The Balkan Institute of Labor and Social Policy has been working on the topic of the huge reserve on the labor market for a long time. Our educational system is aimed entirely at young people, and the demographic situation requires it to appeal to the elderly population - schools and universities to offer educational services for adults, said the chairman of the Balkan Institute of Labor and Social Policy Ivan Neykov and Yordan Dimitrov from the institute. Last week, the topic was touched upon again at a forum on the subject.
They report that in the next 20-30 years Bulgarian employers will work with more and more elderly people. If in 2000 100 people leaving the labor market were replaced by about 130 entering, now 100 adults are leaving the active labor force, but only 70 are being replaced.
According to experts from the Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy, the over-the-counter workforce faces greater difficulties in adapting to the green transition and digitalisation, and these are the changes we expect to lead to a better standard of living and a competitive economy. It is necessary to invest in human capital, including the elderly population. People need to renew their knowledge and skills at certain periods of their working lives.
The social activity of the elderly population can be maintained through a new insurance risk - long-term care
The Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy also proposes to create a new insurance risk - long-term care. This can be done through public or private insurance. According to the experts, a resource should be set aside to finance home help, various integrated social and health services, services for maintaining the social activity of the elderly population. New jobs will be created and providers will be encouraged to provide the services that adults need.
The aging of the population also implies adaptation of the workplace, labor processes and labor legislation, according to the Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy. Working hours, the combination of personal and professional life should be different for young and old workers, experts said. They believe that the debate is primarily about raising the retirement age, and may be in the direction of voluntarily staying longer in the labor market and creating conditions for adults to request it themselves.
Another labor reserve is people with disabilities. There are about 100-120 thousand people with disabilities in Bulgaria who have never entered the labor market - neither as unemployed nor as economically active because of their policies, according to the Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy. At least 60-80 thousand of them can be activated, so not only will they feel fuller, but they will also contribute to the economy. Experts believe that mothers of children up to the age of three should also be involved, as they lose their work habits and often fall out of the labor market through long motherhood. At the same time, according to Ivan Neykov, long motherhood over the years has not proved to be a working measure to increase the birth rate.
The Balkan Institute for Labor and Social Policy believes that telework should be encouraged because it can solve some of the demographic problems - young people return to their native places and, living in a more favorable atmosphere, have access to larger labor markets - Sofia, Plovdiv or abroad. Our companies can also look for a workforce that lives outside the country, and this will contribute to meeting the stated need of employers of about 200 thousand workers.
According to Ivan Neykov, we have been offering the same tools for 30 years to overcome the deteriorating demographic situation, and in 30 years three generations have changed and each of them comes with a new idea of themselves and the world. He believes that so far the focus has been only on income - child benefits, allowances, etc., which has not changed the demographic picture. The institute proposes to think in the direction of improving social services by financing the care of children at home by outsiders, measures in enterprises to combine work and family commitments, assistance to young parents in the time zones for guiding and collecting children from nurseries and kindergartens.
Government requests
There are already requests from the government for measures to help people with disabilities return to the labor market. The Minister of Social Affairs Georgi Gyokov has repeatedly called for a reform of the TEMP system, and the coalition agreement includes the abolition of the TEMC system and the transition to the International Classification of Human Function, Disability and Health, also known as the ICF. System for retraining and returning people with disabilities to the labor market; encouraging employers to hire people with disabilities by covering part of the insurance; introduction of a system to encourage employers to retrain people with disabilities are among the measures set out in the agreement.
Work will also be done on the connection between education and the labor market. Arranging a facilitated regime of voluntary internships during the summer vacation of students, encouraging the active participation of employers in the programs for additional qualification and retraining, revision of the long-term care strategy.
The Minister of Labor and Social Policy Georgi Gyokov announced that changes in the Employment Promotion Act are forthcoming.
17.03.2022
REDUCES UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE THREE NORTHWESTERN DISTRICTS
Unemployment in the three northwestern districts of Montana, Vidin and Vratsa at the end of February decreased slightly compared to the previous month and significantly compared to February 2021, according to the Regional Employment Service in Montana.
The average unemployment in the three regions at the end of February was 10.1 percent and compared to the same period last year there was a decline of 2.2 percent. The total number of registered unemployed in the three districts is 17,489 people, a decrease of 164 people compared to the end of January this year, and a decrease of 3,717 people compared to the end of February 2021 - 17.5 percent.
The municipalities with the highest unemployment rate last month were Ruzhintsi - 46.2 per cent and Yakimovo - 41.8 per cent, and the lowest with the municipalities of Vratsa - 3.6 per cent and Montana - 4.1 per cent.
In February, 971 unemployed people started new jobs in the three regions, 80.2 percent of whom were employed in the real economy, and the rest under subsidized employment programs.
The most sought-after professions during the month are tailors, ironers, fitters, salesmen, waiters, cooks, maids, machine operators, locomotive drivers, welders, personal assistants, general workers, etc.
In February, 81 applications from employers for the retention of 1,359 jobs were approved in the three areas under the 60/40 anti-crisis measure, the Montana Regional Employment Service said.
15.03.2022
REGISTERED UNEMPLOYMENT REMAINED LOW IN FEBRUARY
Registered unemployment in the country remained low at 4.9% in February, according to administrative statistics from the Employment Agency. Compared to the same month last year there was a decrease of 2.0 percentage points.
The number of unemployed in the labor offices in February was 159,906, which is 2,416 less than in the previous month and 65,375 or 29.0% less than a year earlier. In February, 19,407 new unemployed people registered, the number of which was 6,185 lower than in the previous month, and on an annual basis there was a decrease of 5,490 people. Another 445 people from the groups of jobseekers, students and retirees also registered with the Employment Agency during the month.
12,714 unemployed people found their new jobs in February. An increase of 829 persons is reported compared to January, and compared to the same month of the previous year they are 5 516 less. 164 people from the groups of pensioners, students and employees also found work through the labor offices.
The distribution of the unemployed who started working by sectors of the economy is as follows: 56.7% of those who started working in February were employed in the real economy, most of them employed in the manufacturing sector - 20.0%, followed by trade - 17.0%, hotels and restaurants - 8.3%, agriculture, forestry and fisheries - 5.7%, construction - 5.5%, government - 5.1% and others.
2,172 unemployed from the risk groups were employed in subsidized jobs during the month - 58 under employment programs and measures and 2,114 - under schemes of the Operational Program "Human Resources Development" (OP HRD). The HRD OP, which started in July 2020 as an anti-crisis measure, has provided employment to almost 52,000 unemployed people, and only in February employment contracts were concluded with 1,230 new unemployed.
Funding for the already well-known 60/40 anti-crisis measure continues. Thus, for the month of February alone, the applications of 1,776 employers for maintaining the employment of 37,200 employees were approved under this procedure.
The number of jobs advertised on the primary labor market in February was 13,076, or 1,288 more than in the previous month and 393 less than in the same month of 2021. The largest share of job vacancies in the real economy was in the manufacturing industry (24.1%), followed by hotels and restaurants (20.3%), trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (10.9%), administrative and support service activities (8.5%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (6.3%) and general government (6.1%).
The most sought-after professions during the month are: staff employed in the field of personal services; machine operators of stationary machines and equipment; sellers; drivers of motor vehicles and mobile equipment; workers in the mining and processing industry, construction and transport; staff caring for people; skilled workers in the production of food, clothing, wood products and related; waste collection and related workers; metallurgists, machine builders and related craftsmen; cleaners and helpers, etc.
10.03.2022
IS THE PAYMENT OF THE SALARY REQUIRED BY BANK?
Although the use of banking services regarding payments has been popular in our country for many years, one of the questions that concerns local workers is whether it is mandatory to pay the salary by bank transfer. The reason for these issues is the penetration of banking services in most institutions and companies from both the budget and the real sector.
It is now normal for most workers to receive their remuneration by bank transfer, and it is even largely the preferred method of payment. However, it should be noted that there are citizens who, for one reason or another, feel uncomfortable receiving their money in this way, even sometimes doubting the correctness of the procedure.
Let us not forget that there are small settlements in Bulgaria where it is impossible to operate with a debit card, for example, purely infrastructurally, due to the fact that in the same settlement there is no ATM through which to withdraw the amount so that a person can pay possible expenses and some purchases.
In other cases, ignorance of the correctness of banking operations and especially ignorance of the fact that this area is one of the best regulated in general, leads to distrust or fear of the "new" and hesitation in people to move to a more convenient and technological method of payment of wages.
Because the payment of wages to the bank account is a time-saving mechanism for employers, they prefer to do so, even when there is opposition from workers in this regard.
However, is there a legal basis to secure the decision of one or another employer to pay the remuneration of its employees by bank transfer?
First of all, it should be clarified that the regulations governing the payment of wages (Labor Code and the Ordinance on the structure and organization of wages) do not contain explicit provisions governing the obligation to pay wages by bank transfer.
According to the law, the remuneration is paid in the enterprise where the work is performed. Payment is made in advance or final twice a month unless otherwise agreed (maybe three times and only once). Remuneration is paid personally to the employee on the payroll or against a receipt or at the written request of the employee - to his relatives. An important clarification is that at the written request of the employee, his/her remuneration is transferred to a deposit in the bank indicated by him/her.
Ultimately, in order for the salary to be paid by bank transfer, the employee must submit a written request to the employer, in which he/she declares a wish for his/her remuneration to be transferred by bank transfer to the bank indicated by him/her. If such an explicit written request is not made, the employer has no right to unilaterally decide on such action. He must have a bank account opened in advance.
In order to receive his salary from a bank, the employee must have an open bank account and have explicitly stated it in his written request.
Reference:
Art. 270 of the Labor Code
09.03.2022
PROCEDURE FOR DECLARING EMPLOYMENT OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES
Necessary documents and requirements to them
The documents for declaring employment are specified in Art. 36, para. 2 of the Regulations for implementation of the Labor Migration and Labor Mobility Act. They are submitted by the employer to the Directorate "Labor Office" at the place of work.
Necessary documents for employment declaration:
The declaration is submitted in 2 copies in the original, with described attached documents, signature and seal of the employer. On the back there is a list of foreigners, with names in Bulgarian and Latin, date of birth, № passport, position and duration of employment (from ... to ...).
The beginning of employment is before the submission of the declaration by the employer. The duration of employment is in line with the period of validity of the residence document of the third-country national worker.
Procedural sequence
The declaration of employment is made by the employer within 7 days from the beginning of employment and is confirmed by certification of the declaration with an incoming № of the Directorate "Labor Office", and the importer is returned a certified copy.
In case the worker-citizen of a third country is issued a document for long-term residence with a new term of validity, the procedure is repeated until obtaining a permit for permanent residence of the foreigner in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Within 7 days from the actual commencement of work of foreigners, employers are obliged to notify the relevant territorial directorate of the Executive Agency GLI by filling out special forms, published on the official website of the Executive Agency GLI http://www.gli.government.bg/page.php?c=66.
EA "General Labor Inspectorate" carries out specialized control activities in connection with the employment of foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria, within which the control authorities have the right to visit all sites where work is carried out, as well as to require personal documents, including from foreigners residing and working there.
How to start refugees from Ukraine to work in Bulgaria
Above all, the citizen of Ukraine should acquire refugee status. To this end, he must be registered as a candidate for this status by the staff of the Refugee Agency. To date, the State Agency for Refugees has organized mobile centers for Ukrainian citizens at border crossings with Romania.
Upon registration, the Ukrainian citizen must submit all national documents in his possession. Instead, after registration, the applicant for protection receives from the Agency a document called a "Registration Card" with which he can exercise his rights as a refugee during the administrative process of issuing a permanent document for refugee status.
Issuance of the registration card is free!
The registration card has the following dаta:
The map also states:
If the applicant wishes to change his/her address, he/she must first seek permission from the Refugee Agency, which must write the new address on the card in order to avoid problems during a possible police check.
Having already this document proving their refugee status (or that they are in the process of issuing one), the foreigner acquires the rights and obligations of a Bulgarian citizen.
This means that when granting refugee status, foreigners are entitled to:
However, the law also provides for some restrictions. Refugees with status are not entitled to:
The rights of recognized refugees may be subject to other restrictions if explicitly provided for by law.
After performing these procedures, Ukrainian citizens can apply and be employed as employees of the procedures applicable to every Bulgarian citizen. The only additional requirement is for the employer who hired them - to declare the employment of Ukrainians enjoying rights under the Asylum and Refugees Act in the Directorate "Labor Office" at work (see the procedure above).
Which of the foreigner's family can start working in Bulgaria:
Those whom the law also considers refugees. Refugees are considered to be the spouse of a foreigner with granted refugee status and their minor children who have not been married. These family members of an alien who has been granted refugee status enjoy the same rights (including the right to work without special permission), but only if it is compatible with their personal status. For example, if they do not have another type of legal residence permit in Bulgaria or in another country.
The family members of the recognized refugee may not exercise his/her rights even if there are circumstances for them to terminate or revoke the status. For example, if they committed a serious crime of a non-political nature before coming to Bulgaria, or if after obtaining the status they obtained a new passport from their country of origin.
When an alien with granted refugee status enters into marriage after receiving the status, the spouse, if a foreigner, may obtain refugee status only on his or her own grounds due to fears of persecution.
If the Ukrainian citizen does not have refugee status, the following procedures apply:
Citizens of Ukraine can gain access to the Bulgarian labor market in order to work under the following simplified procedures:
The employment of people who have the necessary documents certifying Bulgarian origin is regulated by registration with the Employment Agency. They must also have an employment contract with a local employer for a period of at least 6 months.
Ukrainian citizens have the right to seasonal work of up to 90 days in agriculture, forestry and fisheries, hotels and restaurants in Bulgaria without interruption for 12 months. For this purpose, registration with the Employment Agency is required on the basis of a declaration submitted by the employer.
08.03.2022
IN WHICH SECTORS ARE THEY LOOKING TO HIRE PEOPLE?
The number of job advertisements in February continues to grow, according to a monthly analysis of a job placement platform. Proposals have increased by 9% compared to January, and on an annual basis the growth is 50%.
The trend is positive in almost all sectors. The highest growth of ads in February was the sector "Hotels and restaurants" with 60%. It is followed by the sectors "Logistics and Transport" (40%) and "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" (14%).
In the other sectors the growth of the number of advertisements is: "Marketing and advertising" (5.6%), "Production" (5%), "IT" (4%), "Administrative and service activities" (2.4%) , Trade and Sales (2%), Health and Pharmacy (1%).
Almost unchanged, with a very slight decline in proposals, remains the construction sector, where ads fell by 0.2%.
Share distribution
The Trade and Sales and IT sectors maintain their leading positions in the number of proposals with shares of 19% and 15.7%, respectively.
Already in the previous month there was a growth of 72% in the hotel and restaurant sector. With the current increase, the share of ads in the sector increased to 15.6% and from the previous fifth place it already ranks third in terms of share of the total number of ads and almost equalizes that of the IT sector.
They are followed by the sectors: "Production" (15%), "Administrative and service activities" (10%), "Logistics and Transport" (8%), "Accounting, Auditing, Finance" (5%), Construction (4.9%), Health and Pharmacy (3.9%), Marketing and Advertising (3.5%) and Art (1%).
Work from home
Proposals for work from home and / or telecommuting showed a slight decrease of 3% or nearly 200 proposals less than in January. The total share of these ads is 13.2% of all job postings or nearly 6250 offers. Compared to the sectors that provide this type of work, these proposals are divided into the following ratio "IT" (63%), followed by "Administrative and service activities" (16%) and the outsourcing (BPO) industry (16%) and Trade and Sales (5%).
Ads with a requirement to have a green certificate
Proposals requiring a green certificate (certifying a completed cycle of vaccination against COVID-19 or its disease) were also reduced in February. Their number is nearly 150 and is equal to only 0.3% of all ads.
Supply by cities
The number of ads for the city of Sofia has decreased by 2%, and in the other leading regional cities we see an increase. They have increased as follows: Plovdiv (5%), Varna (22%), Burgas (18%), Ruse (4%) and Stara Zagora (5%).
The main factor for the tangible increase in advertisements in Varna and Burgas is again the increased demand for staff in the hotel and restaurant sector.
As a share distribution, the proposals in the leading regional cities occupy 79% of all announcements.
07.03.2022
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: 4 BUSINESS IDEAS FOR THE CREATIVE AMONG YOU
Creativity is a great quality for any entrepreneur, because it can help him solve the constant problems in business.
But it can also be used as a source of business ideas. Here are 4 examples:
Given how much time we spend at home, especially in the last two years, beautiful furniture is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, if you are interested in interior design and have the necessary knowledge in the field, advising your clients on how to arrange their home comfortably and pleasantly is the right idea for you. It would be even more appropriate if you like to communicate, because you will need to get to know your users in order to offer them furniture styles adapted to their characters and needs.
As you know, this is a business with wide applicability. Advertising materials, logos, posters, flyers, book covers, catalogs and what not are all things you can offer to your customers. The best thing here is that you can grow the business from your own home, and what you need are generally a computer and the right software.
For those who are literary-oriented, writing and publishing textual content is a good opportunity to take advantage of your talent. You can offer preparation of advertising texts, proofreading and editing services, translation services, if you have competencies in a foreign language, to write articles on various topics, etc. You can develop a similar activity as a freelancer.
If you know how to play an instrument, you can offer your services as a musician when recording songs for different purposes. You can also offer lessons for beginners and advanced. If you compose music, the option for you is to submit your works for use to audio and video advertising. For example, advertising agencies that need background melodies may be interested in them. Similar compositions are also available on various sites from which customers can purchase them, where you can also offer your recordings.
07.03.2022
HOW TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY WHEN WORKING FROM HOME
It's one thing to work from the office, it's another to do it from home. The distractions in both places are different and depending on your attitude to your home can have a negative impact on your performance.
What you can do to handle more tasks in less time, even when working from home:
If you haven't done so before, find a place to do your homework. Separate it as much as possible from the places in your home where you do your homework or rest. Provide a calm environment that will help you focus. It does not have to be a separate room, you can safely put a desk in the living room, which turns its back on the TV, put everything you need for your work there and get down to business. The important thing here is that this place is set aside only for official activities.
At the beginning of the working day, prepare a list of things you need to do. Prioritize those tasks that are most important and perform them at the time of the day when you feel most focused and productive. Work on your tasks separately, one by one, and move on to the next one only after completing the current one. This will save you time from reconfiguration.
If the computer you are working with is slow and crashes frequently, you cannot complete your tasks quickly. If the software you use keeps getting errors, you will also waste time. The same is true if your internet connection is bad. Take a look at everything that affects the performance of your tasks, and work with your troubleshooting guide to reduce uptime.
In the beginning, it may be difficult for you to follow the same mode of operation. However, it will help you work more organized. This is not about being bored. This is about implementing the necessary measures that will ensure your productivity on a regular basis. The lists listed in item 2 can easily enter your routine. It can include setting specific times of the day when you will read and reply to emails, for example. Think about what takes your time and disrupts your concentration, but it needs to be done, and set a schedule for it.
04.03.2022
HOW MUCH WILL THE UNEMPLOYED PAY FOR THE HEALTH CONTRIBUTION FROM APRIL 1?
From 1 April 2022, people who pay their compulsory health contributions themselves (for example, the long-term unemployed who do not receive unemployment benefits and are not insured by the state, etc.) and are not registered as self-insured within the meaning of the Social Security Code , owe BGN 28.40 per month.
From the first day of April this year, the minimum monthly amount of the insurance income for the self-insured persons has been increased, as it is already BGN 710.
According to the Health Insurance Act, the uninsured on other grounds are insured on an income not less than half of the minimum monthly income for the self-insured. Thus, the health insurance contribution for them is calculated in the amount of 8% on a monthly insurance income of not less than BGN 355 and not more than BGN 3400 per month.
The deadline for paying these contributions is the 25th of the month following the month to which they relate, reminded by the NRA. The health contribution for April 2022 must be paid by May 25, 2022 at the latest.
All those for whom there is an obligation to pay their own health insurance contributions, submit to the NRA a declaration Form 7, reminded by the Revenue Agency. It is submitted electronically with a personal identification code (PIC) of the NRA or QES, through the Portal for electronic services or in the office of the Revenue Agency at a permanent address, by the 25th of the month following the month for which the obligation to payment of health insurance contributions. The sanction for not submitting this declaration is from BGN 500 to BGN 1,000.
The health insurance rights of the citizens, which are insured at their own expense, shall be suspended if no more than three due monthly installments have been paid for a period of 36 months. The period is counted until the beginning of the month preceding the month in which the person sought medical care paid for by the National Health Insurance Fund. The suspended health insurance rights of the citizens are restored, provided that they pay all due health insurance contributions for the last 60 months. The rights are restored from the date of payment of all due health insurance contributions for this period.
Citizens can inquire about their health insurance status, as well as check the periods for which they lack health insurance contributions, through the electronic service of the NRA, which is freely available on the NRA Portal.
The clients of the administration can also make an inquiry about the health status by phone: 0700 18 700 (at a price according to the tariff of the respective operator). The service is automatic and requires only entering the PIN via the phone keypad. In addition, the system provides data for all months and years for which the mandatory health insurance contributions have not been paid. The health status certificate is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
