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POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTIVE SOCIAL POLICIES THROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF THE PROGRAM «FROM SOCIAL SUPPORT TO EMPLOYMENT»
© Terziev V.K.* *, Dimitrova S.I.*, Arabska E.*
Vasil Levski National Military University, Bulgaria, Veliko Tamovo University of Agribusiness and Rural Development, Bulgaria, Plovdiv
Following the goal of providing opportunity for labor employment and receiving incomes from labor activities rather than social support, the National program «From social support to employment» aims at provision of employment and social integration of long-term unemployed receiving monthly social support through participation in some community activities implemented by municipalities, state, non-governmental organizations or business. The measures are directed to encouragement of unemployed and social inactive persons to restore labor discipline and that way raising their chances of employment, on one side, and on the other to identify persons receiving social support but at the same time working in the «grey» economy.
Tracking out the essential moments in the practical realization of that program, as it is made in the current study, give answers to some of the most significant questions posed by the implementation of active social policies, and connected to their effectiveness, through the example of the National program «From social support to employment». Furthermore, it makes some important conclusions about the social system and its connection to economic development, social planning, implementation and assessment activities, and some general implications for future development.
Key words: active social policies, employment, unemployment, labor demand, labor supply.
Introduction
Economic development is the determining one for demand and supply on the labor market and the balance during the periods of its development. Consideration of the peculiarities in economic development and of probable impacts on the labor market is consecutively turning into an inseparable element of the development process of labor market policies. In initial periods of labor market development its policies are mainly directed to overcoming consequences of the economic reforms on employment but now the policy is of clearly expressed active character and targeted to impacts on the processes and behavioral development in
* Prof. D.Sc Ph.D Dipl. Eng. Vasil Levski National Military University.
* Prof. D.Sc Ph.D Vasil Levski National Military University.
* Assist. Prof. University of Agribusiness and Rural Development.
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target groups according to the preliminary set goals. The functional labor market in the country is an adequate mechanism of the market environment and the conducted policy is more and more accorded to the existing dependencies and interactions between economic development and labor market.
Changes in the economic development of the country as a whole and in separate regions, districts and municipalities, create a completely different economic environment in which the labor activities are implemented. The concentration of a significant contingent of risky groups in municipalities with low economic characteristics makes the unemployment problems especially sharp. In general terms, the economic environment and labor opportunities could be presented by the indicator «GDP per capita», and the municipalities with the higher shares of representatives of risky groups take one of the last ranks in such classifications [8].
During past years, the implemented programs and measures for qualification and employment embrace a comparatively great number unemployed persons but despite that they are still insufficient on the background of the huge unemployment in the country [1-7]. As a share of GDP the money spent looks quite modest: between 0.23-0.25 % [9]. For comparison the EU countries spare between 3.0-5.0 % of GDP on average for the active policies.
The proof of the effectiveness of the implemented programs and measures for employment and qualification is among the main factors for increasing the amount of money for active policies. For example the conclusions from the assessments made on the implemented programs and measures from previous years are the basis for the development of new programs and measures and the overall optimization. For comparison: in 2003 the money planned in the national budget for active policies are three times more than for the previous year [12-14].
In the striving after implementation of as maximum as possible informative and strong in methodological relation assessment a number of practical problems are found. On the first place is the problem of the scope of assessments regarding contents, time and territory. The complex character of an active program assessment and connected to its implementation significant amount of money very often impose the practice not to make assessments of all or a big number of active programs at the same time. An additional implication in the conductions of separate and independent assessments of the active programs is the difference in the periods of their start, peculiarities in implementation and duration.
The choice of the critical moment of investigation, i.e. when to make it, is an important problem because the macroeconomic conditions and current state-of-art on the labor market could significantly influence the results of assessments. The existing practice shows that the results are also influenced by the chosen method of assessment. The first choice in this relation is between the classical experiment and quasi-experiment. The characteristics of the active policy in most cases pre-dermine the choice in favor of the quasi-experimental approach. The essence of the latest is in making a sample of participants in the program. The investigation
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lasts at least one year more after end of the participation into the program. The second methodological choice is related to the method of evaluation of the net effect on employment. The choice is between evaluation based on the econometric model and evaluation under the method of «counterparts». In the literature there is no a common opinion which one gives more precise results [6]. Very often the second one is preferred because of its technical simplicity and easier interpretation of results.
Some limitations and difficulties exist connected to the statistical data for making the research. An essential condition for the successful investigation and assessment is the tracing of the persons falling into the sample of inquiry under the place of living after their participation in an active program. The problem is that the persons are usually found on addresses pointed by themselves in the registration in the labor offices. Following some period of time, it is possible that the persons have moved and that way they could not be found for the inquiry. On the other hand, there could be mistakes or unpunctualities in the registrations and contact data.
The positive start of the assessments of active policies should be continued rendering into account the above-mentioned aspects of the research. Special attention should be paid to the juxtaposing of expenditures to the real economic effects and non-monetary benefits. It is more reasonable and economically substantiated the programs to be assessed separately, as well as their scope and invested resources. Current study makes an attempt to present and analyze the national program «From social support to employment» started in the transition period and being till now one of the main national programs targeted at the active policy implementation on the labor market and thus providing important implications about assessments of active policies and social integration. The following specific tasks are addressed:
- Studying common adjustments and expectations of the unemployed persons from the risky groups receiving social support towards the active system of social support and the problems met in the access to social support.
- Exploring the level of information provided to the unemployed persons from the risky groups about the National program «From social support to employment», the attitude towards its goals and the readiness to participate in it.
- Exploring the readiness of municipal structures and non-governmental organizations to participate in the organization and financing of qualification and employment programs, as well as their notions about their functions and responsibilities.
- Analyzing previous qualification and employment programs organized on the territory of different municipalities, arising problems and experienced good practices.
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Material and methods
The object of conducted research were three categories:
- unemployed persons from the risky groups in capable of working age receiving monthly social support;
- representatives of municipal administrations, directorates of labor offices and social assistance;
- representatives of non-governmental organizations working on the problems of the risky group and participating in employment programs’ development and implementation.
Four studies are made in the framework of four month:
National investigation among the unemployed persons from the risky groups receiving monthly social support.
The methodology of the sample is accidental selection1, and the research embraces municipalities having centers in big and small towns, as well as villages, having a significant part of population falling in the investigated risky group, and in municipalities where the program has pilotly started. The volume of the studied sampe2 is 710 unemployed persons from the risky groups receiving social support (Table 1).
Table 1
Social and demographic characteristics of the unemployed under investigation (in %)
Answers Sample under study Statistical data for the country
Gender
Men 49,20 50,30
Women 50,80 49,70
Age
20-29 35,30 36,90
30-39 31,90 30,00
40-49 20,70 19,90
50-59 12,10 13,10
Education
High 0,00 0,20
Secondary 8,50 5,10
Primary 34,00 30,80
Elementary or without education 57,50 64,00
Settlement
Sofia (the capital city) 7,00 9,30
District town 23,00 17,80
Small town 30,60 28,00
Village 39,40 44,90
Lists of the directorates of labor offices and social assistance are used.
The sample under investigation includes only unemployed persons receiving monthly social support.
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National investigation (quantitative - through a direct individual questionnaire) among the representatives of municipal administrations, directorates of labor offices, directorates of social assistance and non-governmental organizations.
The methodology is a direct individual questionnaire in which the sample volume is 203 representatives of municipal administrations, directorates of labor offices, directorates of social assistance and non-governmental organizations (Table 2).
Table 2
Investigation by an individual questionnaire (in %)
Organization Sample under investigation in %
Municipal administration 25,5
Social assistance directorates 29,5
Labor offices directorates 24,5
NGO 15,5
Other 5,0
Settlement
Sofia (the capital city) 15,3
District town 48,8
Small town 29,6
Village 6,4
National investigation (qualitative - through an individual interview) among representatives of municipal administrations, directorates of labor offices, directorates of social assistance and non-governmental organizations.
The method is an individual semi-standardized interview of 70 representatives of the municipal administrations, directorates of labor offices, directorates of social assistance and non-governmental organizations (Table 3).
Table 3
Investigation by interview (in %)
Organization Sample under investigation in %
Municipal administration 23,1
Social assistance directorates 21,5
Labor offices directorates 24,6
NGO 26,1
Other 4,6
Settlement
Sofia (the capital) 14,5
District town 43,5
Small town 35,5
Village 6,5
Depth interviews with representatives of local authorities responsible for the implementation of the National program «From social assistance to employment».
There have been conducted 28 depth interviews with representatives of local authorities responsible for the implementation of the National program «From so-
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cial support to employment» on the municipal level and with representatives of non-governmental organizations engaged in or having future intentions in the field of social support.
Results
One of the ways in which the unemployed persons could, although partially and incompletely, be on the real labor market, participate in organized labor activities, create and save labor discipline is the participation in employment programs. About 50 % of the interviewees have never heard about the studied national program and almost the same percentage do not understand or do not give any answer. About 80 % of the interviewees have been working in programs of five-day monthly employment which has been an obligatory condition for monthly social support. Significantly less, about 17 %, are those who have got jobs under the programs for temporary employment organized by municipalities, nongovernmental organizations and other organizations in which the employment has been longer and there have been monthly salaries.
The critical notes towards the principles and the ways of organization of previously organized employment programs could be summarized in the following directions (Table 4):
1. Only temporary employment is provided and after finishing the financing or the job the hired are again unemployed.
2. A permanent selection of non-qualified activities is offered-cleaning, planting and afforestation, communal infrastructure sustenance, etc. which on one hand arises of the lack of qualification of the hired, but on the other they are not attractive and repel the unemployed, do not at any extent support acquisition of concrete professional skills which could support the realization on the labor market.
3. Qualification is not offered nor through practice, neither through qualification and training courses.
4. Some negative and discriminatory attitudes exist among private employers when the unemployed are from the group of the gipsies.
Table 4
Main reasons impeding the solution of the target groups’ problems
Answers Representatives of municipal structures Non-governmental organizations representatives
%
Lack of education and qualification 84,3 90,3
Receiving social support 71,7 16,1
Preference of less payments from social support than from work 57,2 29,0
Preference for non-permanent job 44,7 12,9
Discriminatory attitude 15,1 83,9
Binding to low-qualified professions only 14,5 45,2
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Comparing theactivities (they are about cleaning, planting or common work in about 75 % of cases) andthe payments (in the size of the minimum salary for the country), the National program «From social support to employment» is similar to other programs. That explains the results showing the reactions and the satisfaction of the participants in the offered previously programs and the national program «From social support to inclusion» which are similar.
Table 5
Participants’ satisfaction of the implemented temporary employment programs and the National program «From social support to employment» regarding offered activities and payments (in %)
Employed in National programs for temporary employment / Winter Program National program «From social support to employment»
yes no yes no
16,7 83,2 10,5 89,5
From the employed
Satisfied with the job and the payment 50,1 - 49,5 -
Satisfied with the job only 18,4 - 19,5 -
Satisfied with the payment only 4,2 - 6,1 -
Non-satisfied with the jib and the payment 27,3 - 24,9 -
The same is another situation too - the half of the hired unemployed persons are completely satisfied both with the job and the payment and the rest half are partially or fully non-satisfied. In both cases about 20 % are satisfied with the job only, about 5 % - with the payment only, 25 % are non-satisfied with the job and the payment. Mostly, the claims are directed towards the size of the payments-about 45 % and less towards the job - about 30 % of the hired.
First of all, the unemployed persons demonstrate readiness for participation in organized labor activities following the standard rules of the normal labor employment - eight-hour working day and full working weak (Table 6).
Table 6
Answers to the question «Would you accept the offered job if:» (in %)
Answers yes no
You should work every day from Monday till Friday 92,6 7,4
You should work eight hours per day 92,2 7,8
The employer does not cover your social insurance expenses in order you can get a pension in a later time 48,8 51,2
The employer does not cover your health insurance expenses 41,4 58,6
If you can’t be absent of work when your child is ill 43,0 57,0
You are not paid if you have not been at work because of an illness 40,4 59,6
It should be noticed that women and citizens of big towns are more disposed to reject such a regime of work than men and people living in small settlements. The
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reason for women is the bigger engagements in home, while for citizens of big towns it is implied in the bigger opportunities for additional work and incomes.
The unemployed persons show a high sensitivity towards the social aspects of employment as the availability of social and health insurance, the opportunities for absence of work for taking care of a children or in case of an illness. While more than 90 % accept the rhythm of the permanent labor engagement, only 40 % to 50 % would accept a job without insurance or right of absence. It should be however underlined that the situation could be different under the pressure of a higher level of unemployment and a permanent lack of money for some families. Furthermore, the permanent presence of the unemployed on the illegal labor market shows such attitudes. In the investigated case it is important to account for the sensitivity towards the social aspects of employment showing the opportunities of social bonuses to be stimuli for participation in the program mainly through providing information and the positives aiming at compensating the negative attitudes towards the unattractive labor and low payments. Another issue of special consideration is the lack of labor discipline leading to violations of labor discipline as a whole and the need to provide some adaptation periods - for example through part-time employment or apprenticeship.
Demonstrated readiness to be included in unattractive labor activities is high although not so much as for the previous question about full employment (Table 7). About 80 % of the interviewees would accept a job connected to infrastructure sustenance activities. Less is the percentage of those demonstrating readiness in principle to work in the social services’ sphere.
Table 7
Answers to the question «Would you accept the offered job if it is connected to:» (in %)
Answers yes no
Streets, roads or buildings’ repair, afforestation, care of gardens and green areas, building drainage and water supply systems, cleaning, etc. 79,2 20,8
Care of ill, disabled, children, adult people, etc. 55,5 44,5
Some of the interviewed representatives of municipal structures share their observations that there is some interest in the opportunity some unemployed to participate in the program caring of someone seriously ill from their families. This could be one of the most successful contributions and decisions of the negative features and motivation problems. It should be noticed however that besides that none comments the rest of the complex of social activities as homes for adults and children, home social patronage, support to lonely mothers, social and extended services, social kitchens, etc. which shows the insufficient information about the program which is supported by the data from the qualitative assessment.
One of the most important issue in the assurance of motivation is the provision of information for parties. The half of the representatives of the municipal structures and % of the representatives of non-governmental organizations assess their information as detailed (Table 8).
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Table 8
Answers to the question «In what extent are you acquaint with principles and goals of the National program «From social support to employment?» (in %)
Answers Representatives of municipal structures Representatives of non-governmental organizations
Indetail 56,0 25,8
Ingeneral 41,5 64,5
Not at all 2,5 9,7
Another important consideration is that the mass practice the employment programs to include activities as cleaning, planting, etc. leads to a common behavior of municipal structures in the implementation of all employment programs and underestimation of the new opportunities of the program «From social support to employment». Other circumstances are connected to the «spontaneous» emergence of the program according to the opinion of the representatives of municipal structures stating that there were no preparation and preliminary information about program, just instructions to fulfill the quota for the corresponding municipality for a short period of time. That way the engagement in low-qualified activities is the easiest way to provide job for the great number of needy unemployed. On the second place is the fact that municipal structures have difficulties in offering other types of activities because there are many points in the program regarding financing which are not clarified, incl. social insurance, facilities and equipment for which the municipality as a rule do not have resources. This financial obstacles impedes the implementation of the program by the municipalities and leads to refusals of participation by non-governmental organizations. The same is the situation with private employers suffering the same lack of resources. On the other hand are the requirements for documentation and reporting the progress of the program which reduces the interest of the parties.
One of the opportunities that could make more attractive the program is the diversification of activities but the most important factor is the payment. The last one influences the motivation in two directions: first, as security and guarantee, and second, as incomes’ size (Table 9).
Table 9
Answers to the question «Are in force for you the following circumstances:» (in %)
Answers yes no hesitations
If I am offered a job with a regular salary, I would accept it even in case I do not like it especially 83,0 9,7 7,3
If I am offered a job with a regular salary, I would accept it even if the salary is very low 81,4 11,3 7,4
The regularity of incomes have a strong positive influence on the long-term unemployed receiving social support. Four of every five state that they would ac-
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cept an unattractive job or a job providing the minimum salary if the payments are sure. About 10 % would reject that. However, while the guarantee of the incomes is a stimulus, the size of the payments is not only 10 % would accept as fair some payments sized to the minimum for the country salary, 2/3 accept as fair bigger payments. That way the planned payments in the program play a restrictive role rather than simulating. On the other hand, it is recorded that if the place of work is in the close proximity to the place of living it plays a positive role but less than the size of the payment.
The representatives of municipal structures and non-governmental organizations participated in the investigation have very different visions about the payments under the National program, «From social support to employment». For the first group the agreement on the minimum salary is for about %, while for the second - a little bit more than / (Table 10). The argument is that some qualified activities are paid at the minimum salary in the country as well.
Table 10
Answers to the question «Do you approve the program payments to be equal to the minimum salary for the country?» (in %)
Answers Representatives of municipal structures Representatives of non-governmental organizations
Yes 72,7 54,8
No 22,0 45,2
I can’t assess 5,3 0,0
Even in cases the minimum salary is determined as adequate to the activities in the program, all the interviewees state that it is not enough to stimulate beneficiaries’ participation because the size does not significantly differ of the social support’s one. The minimum salary turns to be the main reason of refusal to participate in the program, especially during summer season when the opportunities for finding a job are bigger supported by the notion that the minimum salary is not enough for a family at all.
Another important point is the levelling of payments. The visions are that the payments should be differentiated according the quantity of work, the sphere, the qualification requirements, etc. An opportunity is to give priority to projects imposing some obligations for the employers for assurance of additional resources and payments.
The representatives of municipal structures more often approve the idea of cease of social support in case of a refusal to participate in the program. Further, they are much stronger in this relation than the idea of the program offering the extension of the sanction to the whole family. The non-governmental organizations do not agree with such extreme measures and with the mechanisms of sanctions stating that the sanctions should be in accordance to the concrete situation -for example the unemployed having education and qualification if the program could not offer an appropriate job.
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The above-discussed questions are also connected to the fact that there is an opposing notion of the majority of the unemployed (91 % of the interviewees) that the care of the poor is an obligation of the state. In fact, this is the conviction of the majority of the country population. On one side it is the agreement to the idea of a modern social state, but on the other - the apathy and the passive behavior impede less or more the entrepreneurship.
The readiness to implement the main program activities falls down with approximately 10-15 points in condition when monthly payments are equal to the minimum salary for the country. About 80 % of the unemployed persons from the risky group would accept to do the offered activities but about 65 % would do that in the fixed minimum monthly remuneration. The interviewed representatives of municipal institutions and non-governmental organizations also find the minimum monthly salary as not enough stimulating for participation because the money received by the program do not significantly differ by the size of the social support. Thus, the main reason of the refusals for program participation turns to be the minimum payments. The proposed alternatives are differentiation of payments according to the labor quality and quantity, according to the labor sphere and the requirements to the workers. It is possible to offer some advantages to employers who apply in projects envisaging higher payments.
A big part of the representatives of municipal structures not only approve the cease in the social support to those who have refused to participate in the program but also make proposals the sanctions to embrace all the family. Non-governmental organizations do not accept that variant and all kinds of sanctions in general. The disagreement is not connected to the essence of the concrete sanctions - they find such measures to be understandable and natural, but to the mechanisms of application. According their opinion the sanction could not be automatic, it should be consistent with the concrete situation. The most often examples are that the sanction could not be a case for an unemployed person having high qualification if the program offers an inadequate employment. However, independently of the critical notes, between 80 and 90 % of the interviewed representatives of municipal administrations and non-governmental organizations show a high degree of approval of the program in general.
The bigger part of the unemployed persons from the risky groups demonstrate also approval but in principle it is about the common ideas rather than about concrete mechanisms and that embraces very broad boundaries. In practice all agree on the idea to offer job to unemployed but less than 85 % is the approval about the types of offered activities, less than 80 % - about the size of payments, and only 50 % accepts the notion about sanctions for those who refuse participation.
About 2/3 would take participation in the program in the current conditions, Ц would participate if the sanction would be the case. Every tenth answers that he/she would not participate independently of that there would be cease in social support. The expressed readiness for participation from the target group fully cor-
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responds to the observations and assessments of the non-governmental organizations representatives.
Looking at the level of satisfaction of participants, the half of the unemployed participating in the program are satisfied with the activities the exercise and the size of the received remunerations. Other 25 % express their displeasure of the work or the size of the payments. About 25 % are unsatisfied with both -the activities and the payments. The investigation shows a strong dependence between the readiness for participation and the expectations for the impact on the life standard. The trust that the work under the program would bear more incomes for the household is a motivator for agreement and participation.
In order to be really effective and to overcome the impression of agreement under the pressure of circumstances, i.e. the offered job and remuneration are accepted only because the lack of any other alternative for the unemployed, it is necessary those two parts to get closer to the expectations of the unemployed. This will mean that the circle of activities offered should be expanded creating opportunities for qualified jobs and employment. The necessity of differentiation in payments, if not for all the activities, then at least between non-qualified and qualified, could be expressed in the search of approaches to satisfaction of part of the expectations for higher remunerations mainly through encouragement of employers who would take the responsibility.
Non-governmental organizations are those one which are charged with the important role to be a mediator between local institutions and the unemployed persons from the risky groups. The biggest part of them have a positive attitude towards the program and their critical notes are of good will because they have a clear vision on the primary resources of the problem of long-term unemployment, especially for the investigated group of unemployed persons, and they show readiness and wish for collaboration. Furthermore, there is a necessity of provision of detailed information about programs’ concept, principles and limitations, and they could be used as advisers in the selection of participants, of the activities and the overall organization. Especially important is the opportunity to collaborate in provision of information to both unemployed persons and potential employers. Thus, the non-governmental organizations could be connected in the program particularly in information and explanatory activities. Their role is of a two-direction mediator: from the institutions to the community of the risky groups and vice versa. Non-governmental organizations could implement their intermediary activities in another direction too - in search of persons having education and qualification, especially those with non-documented acquired into practice professional skills and experience. The goal is those persons to be included in some specialized activities, not in the common jobs, to participate in qualification courses or specific forms of employment, as apprenticeship. Looking at the organization part of such functions, they could be put into practice through the participation of nongovernmental organizations’ representatives in departments implementing the pro-
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gram - for example developing joint projects with municipalities and private employers, participation in program activities and the control of their implementation.
One of the main critics to the National program «From social support to employment» is connected to the introduction to work of five or six standard nonqualified activities. This is the practice during the program’s realization, especially in its beginning, and the activities are in the field of cleaning, planting, forestation, some common work, etc. In general, the availability of any qualification of hired persons is neglected. According to the non-governmental organizations’ opinion, such activities comply with the mass absence of erudition and qualification of the unemployed from the target group. At this stage, the national program does not pay attention to the persons participating in it who have some qualification, even if they are high-qualified. Furthermore, based on that the unemployed think that the program is a subject of a high level of bureaucracy procedures and that professional skills are ignored and exchanged by some subjective assessments.
Social workers having close contacts with long-term unemployment receiving monthly social support experience personal discomfort because of the necessity to recommend for some jobs well-educated persons who are before the alternative to stay without social support or to work as cleaners for example. In a case a mediator shares that a person with higher education is selected for a cleaner indoor while an unemployed person without any education is sent to do that job outdoor. That way some informal differentiation is exercised in dependence of educational level but still bearing some suspicious actions.
An object of the program and respectively executors of the mentioned nonqualified activities are exclusively people from the group of the gipcies. This impression could be gained even without visiting the places of work. The first expression of such an evidence is the emergence of the image of the community and the impressions that those groups answer the criteria and procedures for inclusion into the program and some doubtful implications about discrimination practices not taking into account social, demographic and educational profiles of the persons from the databases of directorates of social assistance and labor offices.
Discussing the program in its essence, the program would not offer to hired persons some different life perspective besides their turning back to the registration as unemployed or participation in some other project of the program. On that question the opinions of the unemployed and the representatives of the municipal structures completely coincide. Both parties connect the effectiveness and sense of the national program to a great extent with the provision of some qualification of the hired unemployed persons while for the rest it is similar to the model of the implemented in previous years’ programs for temporary employment.
Discussion
The period in which the effects of contemporary crisis are transformed on the labor market, labor demand respectively, is shortening and this reflects not only
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the extent of the elasticity of labor demand toward primary markets but also the flexibility of conducted policies. The normative base has a definite influence on the development of the main parameter of the labor market but as a whole the impacts, as well as those of the specific policies on the labor market aiming at making more active the labor resources, for provision of employment and better adaptation of labor force have effects with limited opportunities in comparison to the balance in labor demand and supply.
Some of the most important reasons for the observed situation concerning the unemployed persons are:
- low educational level of the majority of long-term unemployed receiving monthly social support which significantly limits their opportunities for vocational training, re-qualification, getting into another professional sphere and successful labor adaptation;
- chronic poverty which makes training and qualification courses (usually charged) inaccessible for the unemployed;
- lack of training forms directed towards professional activities requiring dexterity and skills above all, and not educational level;
- discriminatory practices which discourage the unemployed and create models of isolation on the labor market;
- the common situation of the economic stagnation limiting the number of places of work, incl. in non-qualified activities, which combined with the strong competition on the labor market makes the successful professional mobility extremely difficult.
At least two problems are outlined as main regarding the opportunities of improvement of the position of the risky groups’ representatives on the labor market:
- literacy problems and the opportunity through some training programs the quality of labor force to be improved;
- the problems of early dropping out of children from the educational system and falling into the risky group.
The critical notes on the principles and organization of the organized employment programs till now could be summarized as follows:
a) only temporary employment is provided and after the end of financing or work the hired are again unemployed;
b) non-qualified activities are offered which are a result of the lack of qualification as a whole, but on the other they are unattractive and repel the unemployed, they do not contribute to acquisition of concrete professional skills and realization on the labor market;
c) qualification is not offered nor through practicing qualified activities, neither through qualification and training courses;
d) some negative and discriminatory attitudes exist, especially in private employers and about the group of the gipsies.
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In general those critics are repeated for the National program «From social support to employment» which however bear a number of positive characteristics as a result of the experience gained during the implementation of other programs.
The positive attitude towards the program is united in two directions:
- employment is created which is temporary but relatively longer in comparison to previous programs providing temporary employment;
- the unemployed persons are turned back into the system of organized labor creating good conditions for restoration of labor discipline.
Determined weaknesses are much more and could be summarized in the following directions:
- the programs creates temporary employment only;
- the program does not change the level of qualification of the participants;
- in its practical implementation it brings the employment to some similar and low-qualified activities;
- the program has started without any preliminary preparations, inconsiderately and with bad organization;
- some incompleteness’s exist in its financing, as well as imperfect circumstances in the financial participation of employers;
- the program envisages comparatively low payments;
- the selection of participants follows completely formal criteria;
- the level of information provision to different parties participating in the program is low;
- there is no a good connection between non-governmental organizations and participating unemployed persons;
- the foreseen minimum payments play a restrictive role rather that stimulating.
Long-term unemployed persons receiving social support show a high sensitivity towards the social aspects of the provided employment - the availability of social and health insurance, opportunities for absence if there is a need of caring ill children or in case of illnesses, etc. That gives an evidence that social bonuses accompanying labor contracts are opportunities for stimuli for participation in the program, mainly through providing information about their essence and positive aspects which are received by a hired person. That way, in some little extent, the negative attitudes mainly raised by the unattractive jobs and low payments could be compensated.
The investigation reports an interest towards the opportunity the participation in the program to include the care of a seriously ill member of the family. This implies also the opportunity some elementary health courses to be organized for the persons who will participate in the program. Such training could be useful not only from the point of view of the current participation but also regarding future participation in similar programs directed towards solving another important problem - health condition and health culture of the risky groups.
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Conclusion
Current investigation makes the following recommendations regarding the National program «From social support to employment» [15-20]:
- change in the rules and providing opportunities for inclusion of some specific activities;
- provision of additional state and other financing, as well as other resources;
- access of the private sector’s employers to a broader circle of activities under the program;
- assurance of better coordination, monitoring and control activities.
Additionally it provides the following conclusions and implications regarding
development of the labor market policies:
1. Development of models for making prognoses of the need of labor force and their closer binding to the labor market policy and periodicity in the dynamics of economy.
2. The time delay of impacts and the changes of their duration should be considered in order to develop preventive procedures and timely reactions.
3. The ways of improving flexibility of the labor markets should be sought and the opportunities of increase in mobility and adaptiveness of labor force towards dynamically changing labor demand.
Considering all the peculiarities in labor market development in dependence of the periods of economic development and the place and the role of labor market policy in the common economic policy, some general conclusions about future development could be made:
1. The sensitivity of labor market and its main parameters will strengthen in the future and will suffer both positive and negative effects of the cyclic recurrence of economic development. The open character of Bulgarian economy predetermines the influences of outer impacts in the processes of prolonging reforms in the country which set prerequisites for additional inner influences on the labor market. That’s why the policy directed to raising the flexibility of labor market should continue as far as it is a main instrument softening the impacts and timely adaptations. If the labor market is more flexible then its adaptiveness towards outer and inner influences will be bigger, and the negative consequences -smaller.
2. The flexibility of the labor market in the country develops through many diversifications in the forms of labor relations and the organization of working time, introduction of new rules, etc. but still the traditional models and stereotypes of behavior (of both employers and employees) prevail.
3. The «grey» sector on the labor market complements the traditional models of labor relations offering more flexible but illegal employment forms and organization of working time. The availability of this sector causes
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significant deformations in the notions of the real employment in the country, as well as of its forms and levels of payments. The policy of reducing this sector should be one of the main accents not only in the labor market policy, but also in the economic policy as a whole.
4. Another essential point in development of labor relations is combining flexibility and security. Till now the flexibility is developing more actively in comparison to the security in labor relations regarding labor contracts, labor payments and labor conditions. That implies future development to be orientated towards labor organization, work of labor inspections and its effectiveness, activities of raising responsibilities of employers, employees and community as a whole.
5. A basic moment in labor market and employment development in Bulgaria is that of establishment of consecutive and sustainable strategy of economic development having a clear vision of the structuring of economy and mid-term labor demand. De-industrialized Bulgarian economy predetermines the change in labor demand and segmentation of employment. On one hand, it is the decrease in high-qualified labor force, on the other - the increase of low-qualified. Such a structure is difficult to support the «intelligent» economic growth or economic growth in general. The low level of necessary competences along with the brain-drainage processes in last years outline quantitative and qualitative problems in labor force in next years. The expected exit of the economic stagnation in next years will meet the limitations of labor supply and the country has to solve two essential questions out of the labor market but directly connected to it: how to stimulate the creation of places of work and what sectors will create them - providing high productivity and competitiveness or traditional low-productive sectors. The solution of those questions will predetermine the future development in long-term aspects - change to higher economic growth supported by productive and competitive labor or development in the framework of the existing low effective and technologically aging economic structure seeking inexpensive labor force.
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