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HomeIn BulgariaPolicies on Equal OpportunitiesPolicies in the Labor Market

Policies in the Labor Market
(Source: Reportn for Bulgaria "Equal opportunities for women and men: Monitoring law and practice in new member states and accession countries of the EU", 2005)

The State policy on gender equality in the labour market is incorporated in the Employment Strategy 2004 2010 and is annually reflected in the National Action Plans for Employment (since 2001). It reflects the European Strategy for Employment and the Strategy for Equality of Sexes (2001  2005) aiming at providing equal opportunities and equal treatment of women and men in the labour market. Gender equality requires women and men to participate equally in business and the production sphere, in the decision making process, the social and cultural life. The efforts are focused on facilitating the reconciliation between family and professional life by introducing new and improved forms of providing cares for children and other family members. The National Action Plan for 2006 is based on the new Employment Guidelines 2005  2008 of the European Commission, part of the Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs (2005  2008). 

 

 

  Employment Strategy, 2004 – 2010

 

The Employment Strategy 2004  2010 (approved by the Council of Ministers on 6.11.2003) develops the positive employment policies created in the transitional period to market economy and sets out the main objectives and priorities to be achieved. It is a basic understanding of the strategy that employment strategy is a tool to achieve the economic growth as outlined in the National plan for Economic Development.  

 

The Strategy identifies women as a risk group in the labour market.  The Strategy pays special attention to the need to develop policies on equal opportunities for all social groups to the labor market and to make these freely and easily accessible. It takes account of the information about the state and development of the employment gathered during the last decade. It shows persistent unequal distribution of unemployment per social-demographic groups. The group of young people, people with high school or lower education, people with lower capacity to work and in certain period women and people over the age of 50 are continuously affectedly by unemployment. Women are identified as a risk group on the labour market. The detailed analysis made in the Strategy leads to the conclusion that inequality cannot be established easily solely on the basis of the basic indicators for participation in the workforce, for employment and unemployment. Women are greater portion of the unemployed and this is explained by the fact that women in the active work age are demographically more than men. On the other hand, the lower average levels of remuneration of the women is explained by the fact that they work predominantly in the traditionally low paid industries such as textile, tailoring, education, etc. Preference to employ men on well- paid jobs is also acknowledged as a reason. Following the Strategy, more substantial difference between the two sexes is present in the coefficients of employment. Difference between genders exists also with regard to levels of income but it is comparable to that in the EU countries

 

The Strategy identifies reintegration of discouraged persons and other social groups, not part of the workforce as a problem of prime importance. It further states out that solution of this acute problem requires elaboration and implementation of measures and programmes making possible reconciliation of family and work responsibilities, which shall promote the economic activity of women. Deadline for this task put in the Strategy is 2010.

 

Strategy pays special attention to the need to develop policies for equal opportunities for all social groups to the labour market and make it easily and freely accessible for them. Achievement of equality shall be pursued through 2 basic groups of actions:  

  • General measures refer to the establishment of legislative, institutional and resource base for guaranteeing equal opportunities for women and men.
  • Specific measures for social group, which are considered to be disadvantaged and in unequal position on the labour market as to the other persons.
  • The Strategy draws attention to the fact that it is very important that the impact of each measure on the status of the respective groups is timely and appropriately measures.

General measures are outlined in several directions:

 

Data provision (deadline 2007)

  • Data provision on the status and perspectives of the labour market with regard to gender equality;
  • Specification of measures for improvement of national statistics related to labour market and collection of data per gender, etc.;
  • Specification of group of indicators for monitoring the status and trends on the labour market related equality of the respective groups;
  • Starting programme for conducting surveys together with NGOs on the discrimination existing on the labour market with regard to: equal presentation in the governance and in separate branches and sectors of the economy; inequality with respect to the rate of employment and unemployment and inequality in payment - payment gap.

Institutional framework: (deadline 2007)

  • Setting legal requirements guaranteeing prevention from discrimination with regard to employment and creation of appropriate mechanisms for promotion of equal opportunities to women and men;
  • Amendments in legislation in order to approximate it with the EU legislation related to flexible employment forms (part-time work; shared employment; flexible working hours on a week or monthly basis; employment  for performance of a specific job).

Evaluation of the impact of a policy on the status of each sex (Gender mainstreaming) (Deadline 2010): creation of a comprehensive institutional framework on gender equality, including elaboration and carrying out a national policy on gender equality;

  • Nomination of responsible employees in all departments of the central administration;
  • Establishment of consultative bodies with participation of NGOs and social partners;
  • Training Gender mainstreaming
  • Implementation of temporary positive actions to risk groups

Specific measures are based on available results from research and surveys conducted, which evidence certain inequality of women. The purpose of these measures is to eliminate existing discrepancies and reinforce the opportunities for women to find job. Specific measures refer to:

  • Elaboration of a strategy for making possible work and family life together, which should include introduction of parental leave for children up to the age of seven; 
  • Introduction of more flexible employment forms for mothers with children up to seven years old, different in regard to children’s age;
  • Ensuring social security for pregnant women and mother with children up to three years old; creation of a child raising care system;
  • Measures for improving the social infrastructure for child raising cares and education of children up to six years old.

The Strategy provides also the institutions responsible for ensuring equal opportunities for women and men – the Council of Ministers, the Employment Agency, the National Council for tripartite co-operation, the National Council for promotion of employment, the Consultative Commission on equal opportunities for women and men, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Regional Development and Social Welfare, Employers’ organizations, Employees’ organizations, NGOs.

 

 

 

  National Action Plans for Employment

 

The National Action Plans for Employment are developed on the basis of the guidelines and principles of the Employment Strategy, and are approved by a decision of the Council of Ministers They reflect not only the Employment Strategy but also the National Action Plans for previous years and include a report on their implementation.

 

The National Action Plans for Employment outline the macroeconomic and social framework and perspectives for development of the labour market. It also provides for specific projects, programmes and plans and specifies their objectives, target groups, resources of financing, expected results, etc. The Plans aim at increasing the employment rate of women and improving the quality of employment as well as at promoting women’s economic activity in order to overcome the employment gap between women and men. They are based on the understanding that gender equality requires women and men to participate equally in business and the production sphere, in the decision making process, the social and cultural life.

 

In order to achieve gender equality certain general and specific measures need to be undertaken.

 

  • General measures (gender mainstreaming) refer to the establishment of legislative, institutional and resource base for guaranteeing equal opportunities for women and men. The principle of gender mainstreaming requires a national mechanism to be created and comprehensive institutional framework to be established for equality of sexes, including also elaboration of a national policy and specification of servants and employees in all respective institutions. The gender mainstreaming approach requires that any action taken on the labour market has to be evaluated with respect to its impact over women and men so that gender equality is finally achieved. 
  • Specific measures reflect the idea that certain aspects of inequality between women and men on the labour market shall be abolished through implementation of temporary positive actions. Such affirmative actions shall aim to eliminate existing discrepancies in equality of opportunities for access to the labour market, professional development, employment conditions, etc. Such measures aim to facilitate women’s access to information and technologies, better and more child care opportunities

The National Action Plans for Employment are developed annually by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on the basis of the Employment Strategy and are approved with a Decision of the Council of Ministers. They include measures and actions aiming at increasing the rate of employment for women and overcoming the gap between women and men. 

 

For more information about the Employment Strategy and the National Action Plans for Employment please refer to the second monitoring report Equal opportunities for women and men: Monitoring law and practice in new member states and accession countries of the EU, 2005.

 

Last update: 22.02.2007


 
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Policies on Equal Opportunities
Policies in the Labor Market
Review of National Plans on Gender Equality
National Programs for Prevention and Counteracting Violence against Women

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