SABER Workforce Development Bulgaria Country Report 2014

After a decade of sustained growth averaging more
than 5 percent a year, the Bulgarian economy
contracted sharply as the global economic crisis hit
the country in 2008. The subsequent recovery
remains very modest. The employment rate among
the working age population (aged 16 to 64) over the
past three years has been persistently below preͲ
crisis levels. Unemployment more than doubled from
5.7 percent in 2008 to 12.4 percent in 2012,
unleashing jobͲseeking emigration, especially among
the young Bulgarians. The government has
responded with a series of shortͲterm measures
(e.g., subsidized employment) to restore growth and
employment. In the longer term, however,
continuously building a skilled workforce will be
fundamental for Bulgaria’s competitiveness and for
promoting sustained growth and shared prosperity,
especially in light of the country’s projected sharp
decline in the workforce due to population aging. In
light of the above, the government is considering a
number of reforms of the education sector, including
a new underlying law on preschool and school
education and amendments to the law on vocational
and technical training.