The efforts of the government are aimed at developing the potential of the workforce in the country
“With our accession to Schengen, Northern Bulgaria will be one of the main beneficiaries of investment projects.” This was said by the Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov at a round table on “Problems and solutions on the labor market in North-eastern Bulgaria”, which was held in Shumen. The event was attended by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, the Ambassador of Turkey to Bulgaria H.E. Eileen Sekizkök, the Ministers of Labour and Social Policy, Education and Science, Innovation and Growth, and over 100 business representatives from the region.
Minister Bogdanov gave as an example the successful investment projects in the industrial zone in Shumen, which, in his words, showcase our country as a successful investment destination. “Improving North-South links will be a key aspect of the final phase of our European integration”, he said, adding: “Northeast Bulgaria has the potential to become an example of industrialisation and regional and even global connectivity.”
During the event, the specificities of the region were taken into account and measures were identified to address the short and long-term shortage of skilled workforce, which is one of the prerequisites for improving the local investment climate. “One of the key priorities of the government is to address the imbalance between the different regions in the country,” the Minister added. In his words, there are regions in Bulgaria that are developing at a fast pace and others that need additional resources. Minister Bogdanov pointed to the facilitation of access to the labour market for experts from third countries as a short-term measure to address the challenges related to the lack of trained workforce in the region.
“We are working in dialogue with the business and in close coordination with representatives of various institutions to reduce the administrative burden,” the economic minister said. He explained that currently the time it takes for workforce outside Bulgaria to start working in Bulgaria is extremely long and added that the process will be streamlined so that businesses can rely on trained experts.
In the long term, the Minister pointed out that the government’s efforts are aimed at developing the potential of the workforce in Bulgaria – through retraining and dual training programmes, as well as by creating opportunities for regional relocation of workforce from one area to another.
“It is important for the business to have the assurance that the state is working in its interest and tackles the challenges with real solutions and in sync with all institutions”, Bogdanov was adamant.