Registered unemployment as at the end of March will be below 7 per cent, Labour and Social Policy Minister Emilia Maslarova told a news conference on Sunday.

Unemployment is increasing gradually and the growth rate is below the projections of the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, she said. Due to the crisis, at the end of every month the Labour and Social Policy Ministry will provide information on its accomplishments under the Government's anti-crisis programme, she said.

According to Ministry data, unemployment in February was 6.68 per cent, and in January 6.5 per cent. Maslarova said the crisis is beginning to be felt. She noted that, according to data of the European statistical service Eurostat, unemployment in the EU countries is between 7.6 and 8.2 per cent.

The Minister added that in February and March, thanks to employment programmes, 55,800 people in Bulgaria started work. Over 8,000 job vacancies were registered in job centres by March 27. The largest number of them are in Sofia, Bourgas and Blagoevgrad.

By March 27, the agreed funding under implemented programmes under the national employment action plan totals 140,188,000 leva. Under the programme for the preservation of employees through switching to reduced working time, applications have come from 322 employers for over 18,800 workers.

Under the programme "Social Services in the Family Environment", over 3,200 unemployed people were given jobs in the first two months of the year. A total of 27,900 people are included in the Welfare to Employment Programme.

Nearly 11,000 new jobs will be created under the Beautiful Bulgaria Project and through the social investment fund of the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, Maslarova said. The Management Board of the Beautiful Bulgaria Project has approved 47 new facilities worth over 17 million leva. Nine new projects worth 3.4 million leva have been approved under the fund, including eight nursery homes and a social care home.

Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Dimiter Dimitrov said that at this stage there are no indications of a mass return of Bulgarians working abroad because many of them use social security rights in other countries.

"We have reconsidered the entire migration policy of the country. Access to the Bulgarian labour market for nationals of third countries will probably be restricted very seriously in 2009," Dimitrov said.

Source: BTA