Employment in Bulgaria and the role of the European Social Fund

In the article there are dis cussed the main trends in the employment of the active population of the country for the past 10 years, the emphasis being on the last 3 years. As a result of the economic crisis there is broken the eight - year - long trend of an increase in employment and de crease in unemployment in Bulgaria. Most affected by the crisis are the people with low education and qualification level, as their flexibility and adaptability to the labour market are comparatively low. This raises the need for the government to carry ou t intense and active employment policy. Under conditions of economic crisis, however, the means of the government for financing programmes for the promotion of employment are limited. As the main source of financing the policy on employment for the last three years there is considered the European Social Fund. For that period there has been recorded comparatively low absorption of funds, which, in the context of the after - effects of the economic crisis on the labour market, requires the undertaking of immediate measures and complex actions promoting the purposeful absorption of resources from the Fund.