A conference in Sofia is discussing labour market flexibility and reliability. It has been organized by the Labour and Social Policy Ministry and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The development of a national programme for reform of the labour market in 2008-2010 will begin shortly, Deputy Labour and Social Minister Dimiter Dimitrov said.

According to Labour Ministry data, the Bulgarians in employment exceed 3,100,000. A total of 6.2 per cent work under fixed-term contracts. In 2006, part-time workers accounted for 1.6 per cent while the European Union average is 18 per cent.

The employment rate is 61.7 per cent, and unemployment stands at 7.75 per cent, Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Lazar Lazarov said. In his words, the number of persons dispaired of finding jobs has dropped.

According to Lazarov, the labour market is facing challenges such as the ageing of the population, the shortage of skilled workers and the need to improve the qualifications of the labour force. New mechanisms should be introduced for the enforcement and modernization of legislation for the purpose of increasing economic competitiveness.

In his words, the positive trends in Bulgaria show that the sluggishness of the economy has been overcome, he said.