site.btaExperts Warn of Growing Income Inequality

Experts Warn of Growing Income Inequality

Sofia, October 3 (BTA) - Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) Chairman Bozhidar Danev said in the future income equality will continue to increase with highly-skilled specialists receiving more and lowskilled workers receiving less. Danev was speaking during a debate with the civil society under the European Pillar of Social Rights project in Sofia on Monday.

The discussion is organized by Bulgaria's Economic and Social Council in partnership with the European Economic and Social Committee.

Danev said that EU's social policies have proved inept and the problems set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights are outdated. He said it was ridiculous to talk about gender equality when the bigger inequality was in terms of knowledge, competences and response to new technology.

The demographic problems and migration within the EU of Bulgarian nationals is a huge problem for the country. In his words, 2 million Bulgarian citizens had been drained from the Bulgarian market and the Bulgarian economy.

Technology is developing at a fast pace and Bulgaria is lagging far behind compared with the average European lifelong learning rates, said Danev. In Europe 10.7 per cent of people aged 15-64 learn throughout their life against 2 per cent of Bulgarians.

Danev predicted that the labour market will experience changes when some professions going extinct and new ones appearing. He said the need for translators will decrease by 90 per cent in two years together with the need for front office employees.

"We need flexible workforce and should not be under the illusion that inequality will decrease," said Danev, adding that the battle is no longer between blue collar workers and white collar workers but between competent and incompetent workers.

Danev said that already in Bulgaria there is a new business model of the sharing economy, which bypasses the state. "Despite attempts to stop travel sharing, it is impossible," added Danev. He said that sharing economy grows by an average 25 per cent annually.