Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2018, published 108th ILC session (2019)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Bulgaria (Ratification: 2008)

The Committee notes the observations of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria received on 17 November 2017 relating to alleged imprecisions in the report. The Government is requested to provide its comments in this respect.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends and implementation of an active employment policy. The Government reports that amendments have been made to the Employment Promotion Act that include measures to tailor training on job-seeking skills to individual jobseekers, enhancing incentives to encourage mobility by providing for allowances for taking up work that is up to 50 km away from the jobseeker’s place of residence, an extension of subsidized employment to 18 months for young men up to the age of 29 years, and supportive measures for single parents and pensioners seeking work. In addition, further improvements were made to the system of dual education and training which forms part of professional education and training services provided. The Committee notes that the amendments also enable the public employment services to outsource mediation services to private employment agencies for jobseekers with disabilities or those belonging to other disadvantaged groups. In particular, it notes the information provided by the Government on the methods used by unemployed men and women seeking employment in the first quarter of 2017. The statistics provided indicate that the majority relied on assistance from relatives and acquaintances, while contacting public employment offices ranked fourth, after the establishment of direct contacts with employers and exploring published job advertisements. The Committee notes that the Government has set new priorities for addressing labour market needs in its Updated Employment Strategy 2013–20 (UES), through concrete actions set out in annually adjusted National Employment Action Plans. These new priorities seek to reduce the number of school drop-outs and ensure better integration into the labour market of early school leavers, as well as the activation of unemployed persons from disadvantaged groups, such as young men up to the age of 29, unemployed persons above the age of 50, unemployed persons of Roma origin and persons with disabilities. It notes with interest that an additional priority contained in the UES is the promotion of “green workplaces” and “white workplaces”, the latter referring to the health sector. The Committee further notes the detailed labour market statistics provided in reply to its previous request, which indicate that the labour market continued to improve in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017. This positive trend is reflected in the general unemployment rate, which fell from 9.2 per cent in 2015 to 6.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, which compares favourably to the European average of 8.2 per cent as of December 2016. The Committee notes that, in the first quarter of 2017, the unemployment rates of men (6.8 per cent) and women (6.9 per cent) are almost identical. In contrast, the general unemployment rates in towns and cities (5.4 per cent) compared to villages (12.5 per cent) differ markedly. As the Committee noted in its previous comments, there are also regional imbalances in employment, especially in the northern regions of the country. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the lowest unemployment rate for the population aged 16–64 years was reported for south-western Bulgaria (3.4 per cent), while the north-western region had the highest unemployment rate (13 per cent). The Committee notes in this regard that section 33 of the amended Employment Promotion Act places new focus on the implementation of regional employment and training programmes to confront these disparities. Following the launch of 28 regional employment programmes in 2016, the thrust of the 2017 National Employment Action Plan is to achieve balanced, sustainable and integrated development of the regions. Additionally, the Committee notes that unemployment rates for young persons aged 15–24 years was close to twice the national average at 12.8 per cent. The importance of appropriate education and training is underlined by statistics showing significantly higher unemployment rates for persons with lower levels of education. The unemployment rate for persons aged 15–64 years with only a basic level of education was 19.2 per cent, rising to 41.7 per cent for those with only elementary education or lower. The Committee also notes that in the first quarter of 2017, a significant number of unemployed – 64,300 – were former temporary or seasonal workers and that 27,300 of this group had been unemployed for more than eight years. The long-term unemployed made up 3.7 per cent of all unemployed persons in the first quarter of 2017 (3.9 per cent for men and 3.6 per cent for women). The Committee also notes the detailed analysis of the impact of the Government’s active labour market policies especially in regard to the different regions and groups in vulnerable situations, such as the Roma minority and persons with low levels of education. The Government also highlights the training measures implemented to promote entrepreneurship among unemployed persons, which are accompanied by financial support and strengthened by provision of incentives aimed at supporting microenterprises to create jobs. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed statistical information on employment and labour market trends disaggregated by gender, age and region, including information on employment, unemployment and visible unemployment. It further requests the Government to provide information on any evaluations carried out on the impact of the employment policies and measures implemented for promoting full, productive and freely chosen employment, including measures aimed specifically at groups in vulnerable situations and regions with the highest unemployment rates, such as the northern regions of the country. The Committee also requests the Government to continue to provide information on the nature and impact of measures adopted and implemented with the objective of supporting the development of entrepreneurship and microenterprises for employment creation.

Undeclared work. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government acknowledges the dangers that the undeclared economy poses for the long-term development of the country. In this regard, it refers to the 2015–17 Single National Strategy for improving tax collection, tackling the shadow economy and reducing compliance costs, including undertaking preventive measures aimed at preventing entry into the shadow economy and measures aimed at assisting persons working in the informal economy to transition to the formal economy. The Government adds that these measures are combined with inspections in relation to different areas of the economy, with the assistance of the employers’ organizations and heightened sanctions in the event that violations are detected. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated detailed information on the impact of the measures taken to address undeclared work, their impact on the labour market – particularly on reducing undeclared work in the informal economy and protecting the rights of informal undeclared workers – and the role of both employers’ and workers’ organizations in this regard.

Youth employment. In reply to the Committee’s previous comments, the Government reports on the impact of active labour market measures implemented in 2011, noting that since young persons are included as a priority group in all of the national employment and training programmes, schemes and measures, the majority of these are directed to young men up to the age of 29 years. The Committee notes that every Labour Bureau has staff dedicated to providing employment-related services for young persons, for whom individual action plans are developed. The Committee notes in particular the specific psychological support provided to long-term unemployed young persons and the measures focused on young persons with low levels of education. The Government indicates that as a result of these measures, 40,269 young men entered the primary labour market and 13,106 were covered under subsidized employment schemes. The Committee notes that the unemployment rate for young persons has fallen by 2.3 percentage points since 2015, reaching 12.2 per cent in 2016. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed updated information, including statistical information disaggregated by age, sex and region, on the impact of measures designed to increase opportunities for young people of both genders to secure sustainable, lasting employment, in particular for those with low levels of education.

The Roma minority. The Government states that, in the framework of the National Roma Integration Strategy 2012–20, 30,757 persons who self-identify as Roma were included in active labour market measures in 2016, out of which 17,978 were women, 11,505 were young persons up to the age of 29 years, 6,184 were persons over 50 years of age and 13,862 were long-term unemployed persons. Out of the 19,380 Roma who entered employment in 2016, 13,610 entered the primary labour market. The Committee notes that under the “Activate the Inactive” National Programme, Labour Bureau Directorates employ Roma mediators to encourage persons belonging to the Roma minority to register with local labour bureaus. Moreover, labour exchanges have now been established to facilitate access for Roma to information concerning vacant positions as well as contacts with employers. In 2016, 92 Roma mediators activated and motivated 11,946 Roma and five labour exchange fairs took place for members of the Roma community. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information, disaggregated by age and gender, on the measures taken to encourage and support labour market participation of the Roma population.

Active labour market measures for other specific groups vulnerable to decent work deficits. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on the various education and training programmes for groups vulnerable to decent work deficits. In regard to older persons (55–64 years of age), the Government indicates that the active labour market measures directed at this age group – including subsidized employment – have contributed to increased employment opportunities. The employment rate for older workers continues to rise, reaching 54.5 per cent in 2016, representing an increase of 1.5 percentage points in comparison to 2015. In addition, the Government refers to targeted programmes and measures for the employment of persons with disabilities, indicating that the employment rate for this group fell slightly from 2015 to 2016, from 18.4 to 18.3 per cent. Nevertheless, their unemployment rate also decreased in this period by 3.6 percentage points, reaching 13.1 per cent in 2015. As the unemployment rate of persons with elementary and lower education remains a challenge, the Government provides examples of targeted programmes established for this group. While the decrease in the number of long-term unemployed persons continued in 2016, with a ratio of 4.5 per cent – as compared to 5.6 per cent in 2015 – the Government continues to implement specific labour market measures for this group. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in relation to 73 employment and social assistance centres in which joint teams from the Employment Agency and the Social Assistance Agency provide employment assistance and social assistance information to the long-term unemployed. In addition, eight labour exchange fairs for this group took place in 2016. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated detailed information on the impact of active labour market measures aimed at increasing the employment rate of specific groups vulnerable to decent work deficits, including older workers, persons with disabilities, persons with low levels of education and skills, persons from rural areas and disadvantaged regions and the long-term unemployed, including information on the involvement of the social partners and representatives of the groups concerned in the development, implementation, monitoring and review of such measures.

Article 3. Consultations with the social partners. The Government reports that it has taken steps to enhance Bulgaria’s compliance with the European Commission’s recommendation for the participation of the social partners in all forms of the management, control and implementation of specific European structural funds. In this regard, the Government indicates that the amendments to the Employment Promotion Act also provide for further cooperation between the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, other state institutions, including regional administrations, the Employment Agency, the social partners and other non-profit legal entities to increase the sustainability of joint actions to be jointly developed and implemented across the country. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the outcomes of improved cooperation with the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations in the formulation and implementation of employment measures. It also requests the Government to provide information on consultations with representatives of the persons affected by the measures taken, such as young people, the Roma minority and other specific groups in relation to the development and implementation of such measures.