site.btaLabour Ministry's Top Priorities Include Pursuing Policy of Raising Income, Improving Social Support

During Friday’s report on the performance of the outgoing Government of Nikolay Denkov over the past nine months, Outgoing Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivanka Shalapatova outlined her Ministry's strategic priorities for the rest of the year.

"The first priority is to pursue the policy of raising people’s income, which can be achieved by maintaining the support for labour productivity through investment in workforce upskilling," Shalapatova said.

In her words, this is a crucial prerequisite for a successful business. "It is very important that by the end of the year, together with the social partners, we manage to fully transpose the minimum wage directive via a predictable mechanism that takes into account territorial and economic specificities," she noted.

"Another crucial priority for us is the promotion of demographic development because, as [Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister] Mariya Gabriel said, we can view the status quo in Bulgaria as an opportunity. This is our approach to the development of the demographic situation in the country," Shalapatova said.

“Our second strategic approach is related to improving social support and tackling poverty and social exclusion," the Minister noted. She said that her Ministry’s aim is to put an end to the inefficiency of social support. Shalapatova added that their ambition is to show how social benefits and services can empower people to be active and not constantly dependent on the State.

"By the end of the year, we have taken on a very serious commitment, and I am confident that we will fulfill it," Shalapatova said, referring to the planned closure of the last four medical-social care homes for children.

She said that her Ministry also aims to actively support people affected by the green transition in the Maritsa Basin and to pursue enhanced digital competence and labour productivity of the workforce.

"In the short term, our concern is social workers, raising their salaries and competence so that they can be a reliable and adequate partner when people need social support," Shalapatova said.