Youth employment measures

One of the main priorities of the employment policy in Bulgaria is the successful realisation of young people on the labor market. Within the framework of the employment policy of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, a number of incentive measures are implemented under the Employment Promotion Act to facilitate the transitions of young people from education/training to employment and from unemployment to employment. In some of the measures, young people are the main target group, and in others they are part of the priority groups for inclusion. Actions to promote entrepreneurship among unemployed persons, including young people, in order to provide employment, but also to realize personal innovative potential, are implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. It implements a measure to encourage micro-enterprise employers to open jobs by subsidizing the first 5 open jobs. The measure provides support for the smallest economic entities, most of them being new entrepreneurs. Furthermore, it implements an incentive stimulating the entrepreneurship of unemployed persons eligible for money compensation for unemployment. Unemployed persons who have entered into a contract to start business and have provided employment to another unemployed person not eligible for money compensation for unemployment, are entitled to additional funds from the state budget. The Employment Promotion Act also supports unemployed persons, including unemployed young people by encouraging them to start an independent business as a micro-enterprise under the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Act. The start-up of entrepreneurship is supported by covering the costs incurred to start an independent business activity, included in the business project.

Employers are encouraged to hire young people through the measures (under the Employment Promotion Act):

• Encouraging employers to hire unemployed persons up to the age of 29 by providing funds for remuneration, social and health insurance;

• Encouraging employers to hire unemployed persons up to the age of 29 with permanent disabilities, including military disabled, as well as young people from specialized institutions or using social services in community of residential type, who have completed their education by providing funds for remuneration, social and health insurance;

• Encouraging employers to hire part-time unemployed young people up to the age of 29 with 12-months continuous registration in the Employment Office by providing funds for remuneration, social and health insurance;

Flexicurity measures focusing on young people 

There are no top-level measures focusing especially on young people.

Reconciliation of private and working life for young people.

There are no specific measures on reconciliation of private and working life for young people.

Funding of schemes/initiatives

Trainings and Employment for Young People project (проект „Обучения и заетост за младите хора“) “) under the Human Resources Development Operational Program provides opportunities for integration of unemployed young people under 29 years of age inclusive, who are registered in the Labour Office Directorates at the Employment Agency, in employment at an employer by providing trainings and subsidy for continuous employment. Project activities are realised on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria since 2016. The project funding is in the amount of BGN 115 854 936 (approximately EUR 59 235 688), including BGN 98 476 695,60 (approximately EUR 50 350 334) EU funding and BGN 17 378 240,40 (approximately EUR 8 885 353) national co-funding.

The project is implemented in two components

Component I

Information and orienteering directly to vacant jobs for individuals from the target group for whom the job does not require to participate in training.

Carrying out trainings for professional qualification and/or key competence 4 “Digital competence” and key competence 2 “Foreign language training”.

Ensuring tutor for young people who are directly employed at vacant jobs for which young people do not need to participate in training – for maximum period of 3 months.

Employment of individuals from the target group at jobs within the scope of single groups of professions in class 2 to 9 of the National Classification of Occupations and Jobs 2011, for a period of up to 12 months.

Component II

Information and orienteering directly to vacant jobs for individuals from the target group for whom the job does not require to participate in training.

Provision of training, including by issue of vouchers for obtaining key competences to unemployed persons with permanent disability.

Ensuring tutor for young people with permanent disability for maximum period of 3 months.

Employment of individuals with permanent disabilities at full-time and part-time jobs (at least 4 hours) within the scope of single groups of professions in class 2 to 9 of the National Classification of Occupations and Jobs 2011, for a period of up to 24 months. Provision of one-off incentives in the amount of six minimum salaries applicable for the country for employers who have kept the job of the disabled employee for 6 months after the period of the subsidy.

Target groups

Component I

Inactive and unemployed persons under the age of 29. As a priority, support is provided to unemployed young people under 29 years of age who are with primary or lower education and are registered as continuously unemployed individuals in an Labour Office for 12 and more months

Component II

Inactive and unemployed persons under the age of 29 with permanent disability. As a priority, individuals with certified disability of 75% and more than 75% are involved. The implementation period of the program is: 2015-2023

Quality assurance

The youth employment measures implemented during the period 2015-2023, which are described in Funding of schemes/initiatives are funded by the Human Resources Development Operational Program

According to Decision No 792 of the Council of Ministers of 17.12.2013 (last amendment 2015) (Решение № 792 на МС от 17.12.2013 г.) on nominating the authorities in charge of the management, control, coordination and audit of the funds for the youth employment initiative are managed, controlled and coordinated by European Funds, International Programs and Projects Directorate General at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy – managing authority of the Human Resources Development Operational Program.

Тhe main mechanisms in place to monitor and ensure the quality of employment schemes and projects fall within the responsibitlities of the authority, which is nominated to control the implementation of the Human Resources Development Operational Program, and namely, the European Funds, International Programs and Projects Directorate General at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy European Funds, International Programs and Projects Directorate General at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. It performs inspections on the spot with regard to the implementation of the contractual activities in order to verify that:

• funded products and services are actually delivered (for example, subsidized employment, trainings, social services, consultations, etc.) and correspond to the projects approved for funding, the rules of the operation and the applicable legislation;

• representatives of the target groups have actually participated and the result from the interventions is available;

• the conditions for ensuring sustainability of each individual project are met.

In pursuance of their obligation, the Managing Body and the Employment Agency – in its capacity of specific beneficiary, perform scheduled and unscheduled audits of all projects, including interviews with the target groups, in order to verify the achievement of specific objectives and outcomes for the respective priorities of the Operational Program.

This ensures the monitoring and quality assurance of the youth employment measures and schemes implemented in the country.