The next meeting of the National Economic Council will be regarding topics related to the shortage of staff in Bulgarian enterprises. This became clear during a meeting of the Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stoyanov with representatives of the Association of Bulgarian Employers’ Organizations.
‘The Council is another instrument for cooperation between the government and the business, which has not been used effectively enough over the years,’ Minister Stoyanov stressed. In his words, the first priority for him and his team was the dialogue with both employers and trade unions. ‘In the ministry we found sectoral councils, which had not held meetings for years,’ added the Minster of Economy and pointed out that in recent months their activity has been resumed.
In the first month of the mandate of the caretaker cabinet seven working groups were launched with the participation of experts from the Ministry, the business and the National Association of Municipalities. ‘They concluded their work with concrete proposals for measures and regulatory changes to improve the economic environment in our country,’ he said.
The main issues raised by employers at the meeting were the need for a more lenient regime for hiring third-country workers and a broader advocacy of dual training. It was commented that our commercial attachés abroad should be engaged in collecting information on good practices and promoting opportunities for implementation in Bulgaria.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Irina Shtonova and representatives of the members of the Association of Bulgarian Employers’ Organizations — the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Industrial Association and the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria.