"Part of the tools for achieving quality jobs are largely in the hands of employers (wages, training), another part is a matter of policies (social protection coverage, policies to promote participation in the labor market), policies for competitiveness of enterprises, incl. to quality education and to talents - an opportunity to attract migrants with the right skills", said Maria Mincheva – vice president of BIA, during a discussion on the topic "Quality jobs - how to create them".
The organizer of the forum was EURACTIV Bulgaria, together with Eurofound. Among the panelists, apart from Maria Mincheva, were Ivaylo Kalfin - executive director of Eurofound (the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions), Anton Cassel - head of the office of the European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nikola Schmidt (online), Ivanka Shalapatova - Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Svetlozar Petrov - CEO of Jobtiger, Plamen Dimitrov - President of CITUB, Dr. Maria Trifonova - Department of "Economics and Management by Sectors" at Sofia University, research assistant at the "Energy and Climate" program of the Center for the Study of Democracy.
The European Commission has declared 2023 the European Year of Skills, stating: This year is dedicated to helping citizens get the right skills for quality jobs and helping companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to cope with the skills shortage in the EU. Analysis of data from the European Telephone Survey of Working Conditions shows that labor shortages are particularly prevalent in sectors with low job quality. It found that the healthcare sector was the busiest, followed by transport, agriculture, trade and hospitality. Addressing these challenges effectively requires a clear understanding of the causes of labor shortages in specific sectors and occupations, as well as sector policies.
In her presentation, Maria Mincheva recalled the definitions of ETUC[1] and OECD[2] for "quality jobs". She emphasized that the worst position on the labor market (lowest levels of employment, lowest wages, significant risk of unemployment) are young people and those with low qualifications. On the contrary - highly skilled workers do well in all respects - employment, pay, low risk of unemployment. "For women, the picture is mixed - the employment rate is significantly lower than for men, women are also affected by the difference in pay," noted Maria Mincheva.
The vice president of BIA outlined the current picture of the labor market in Bulgaria, namely:
- Aging population: decrease in the number of entrants to the labor market and increase in the number of users of social protection systems;
- New generations and different generations in the same workplace: New expectations for the workplace and working time from the younger generation, the hybrid way of working will be established as a leader;
- Transformation of economies - green and digital transition. Artificial intelligence imposes a speed on these processes that is impossible when it comes to the possibility of adaptation of workers;
- New skills: the dual transition is not possible without people with the right skills.
In her speech, Maria Mincheva presented part of the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee, of which she is a member, regarding what type of skills are needed for the future labor market:
- The ability to upgrade digital skills according to the requirements of the labor market and the introduction of new technologies will be one of the undisputed challenges of the future.
- Green skills are defined as knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes that are necessary to live, develop and support a sustainable and resource efficient society. There are 4 main groups of skills that are perceived as important for green jobs: engineering and technical skills, science skills, operation management skills, monitoring skills.
- Cognitive skills that enable working and making decisions in an unpredictable, non-routine and dynamically changing environment will be increasingly required.
- Meta skills – those that augment and accelerate the acquisition of other skills.
“Strategies for skills development and their implementation must be an integral part of overall economic strategies. The role of forecasting and classifying skills against the risk of dropping out of the labor market is important," Maria Mincheva also pointed out, adding that new forms of work, duly protected, resulting from changes in the nature of work can provide employment opportunities, including by developing one's own business, diversifying sources of income and including inactive people - people with disabilities, etc.
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[1] ETUC definition: Good wages; Job security through standard employment (full-time and open-ended contract) and access to social protection; Lifelong learning opportunities; Good working conditions in healthy and safe conditions; Reasonable working hours with a good balance between personal and professional life; Union representation.
[2] OECD definition: Quality of income (inequalities) – how much income contributes to the well-being of workers compared to average incomes and their distribution among the labor force; Labor market security – the risk of unemployment and the economic cost to workers. It is determined by the risk of unemployment and the benefits received in case of unemployment; Quality of the work environment, which covers non-economic aspects of the work environment – the nature and character of the work, working time arrangements and other workplace relationships.
