site.btaSome 11,000 People Integrated into Labour Market by Roma Mediators

Between January and September 2023, some 11,000 people have entered Bulgaria’s labour market with the assistance of the Employment Agency’s Roma mediators, the Agency said here on Wednesday. The mediators have held 70,457 meetings and consultations aimed at assisting work placement and professional qualification.

This transpired at a two-day working meeting hosted by the Employment Agency as a platform for exchange of good practices for helping the unemployed secure employment and providing EURES services. Employment Agency Executive Director Smilen Valov opened the event and stressed that for over 15 years Roma mediators have proven to be a liaison between the Roma community, employment offices, and employers. He added that their number will increase, and new employment activation offices will be opened across the country. “Our mediators and employment activators will continue to develop themselves through training and practical guidance. Their efforts to be granted access to the community and to build trust will reap even better results,” Valov noted.

Labour and Social Policy Minister Ivanka Shalapatova, who also took part in the event on Wednesday, said that the development of the Roma mediation is being supported through the Activation of Inactive Persons National Programme and six employment activation clubs were launched in May 2023.

Wednesday’s meeting provided an opportunity for over 80 Employment Agency’s Roma mediators, to continue sharing their experiences and exchange good practices implemented in different parts of the country.

Shalapatova and Valov awarded the participants with certificates for their contribution to the inclusion of the Roma community in the labour market and the establishment of the profession of the Roma employment mediator.

The event was organized in the framework of the National EURES Network project funded by the Human Resources Development Operational Programme, co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund.