Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA)

The Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) held a key conference on the topic of “Attractive Professions for a Sustainable Future”, where the Updated Occupational Attractiveness Rating (AOAR) was presented, developed within the framework of the project BG05SFPR002-1.005-0004 “A Comprehensive Approach to Ensuring Motivated Qualified Human Resources”, co-financed by the ESF+ through the Human Resources Development Programme. The main focus of the event was placed on the urgent need for a change in attitudes and policies for lifelong learning in order to respond to the acute skills crisis in the workforce. The Chairman of the BICA Management Board, Rumen Radev, pointed out that despite low unemployment, the labor market is facing a critical shortage of personnel, estimated at 200-250 thousand people. “The system is working at the limit of its capabilities, there are no reserves of free labor,” said Mr. Radev. He added that the problem is no longer only quantitative, but also qualitative, as Bulgaria suffers from a skills deficit, not just people, and outlined several key directions for work: "The attractiveness of professions must be dramatically increased by modernizing the educational content, information about the importance of professions, career development opportunities, green and digital skills, and the introduction of micro-qualifications. Cooperation between business and joint activities of social partners should contribute to building appropriate mechanisms to overcome the lack of personnel. Employers are ready to invest in training, certification, and dual training models. But without promoting policies and support, efforts remain fragmented." The main focus of the conference was the presentation of the Professions Rating developed by the BICA team. It was presented for a total of 78 professions from 17 sectors, with professions from the "Electrical Engineering and ICT" sector being determined as the most attractive, among which the top three are specialists in technical sciences, computer network specialists and programmers. Their attractiveness is due to high cash income, flexible working conditions and development prospects in large multinational companies. Among the leading professions is also the profession of personnel training and development specialists from the "Education" sector, distinguished by the highest perspective, good pay and low stress level. According to the analysis presented by the project manager and general secretary of The Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milena Angelova, sectors such as "Cultural and creative activities" and "Agriculture" are among the most unattractive. The professions of musicians, dancers or gardeners and greenhouse workers receive low marks due to a combination of unstable and low incomes, lack of non-monetary incentives and limited prestige. The difficult working conditions and seasonal employment further worsen their position. And the most unattractive profession is that of pilots. “Mastering the profession of pilots is expensive, requires a lot of effort, lacks support from the state and opportunities for development,” said Assoc. Prof. Angelova. The Chairperson of the Committee on Labor and Social Policy of the National Assembly, Ms. Denitsa Sacheva, pointed out that the topic of skills is becoming increasingly relevant and therefore requires more investments in vocational education and training, support for career centers and their development, as well as the development of dual training in higher education. Acad. Nikolay Denkov, Member of Parliament, recalled that we are in last place in lifelong learning and efforts should be made by the state and all responsible institutions to support business in an appropriate way in order to better develop vocational education and training. He added that the capacity of the Centers of Excellence and Competences is still not being used sufficiently. Acad. Vitanov, Deputy Minister of MES pointed out that changes in technology require continuous learning and we can hardly imagine a person working in one job throughout their life. Therefore, it is important that the state now supports a second higher education. He added that career guidance is important, as young people need more guidance when choosing a career. The Deputy Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. Maria Filipova, pointed out that the current conference is a conversation about saving an entirely new generation. Since there are many young people who neither work nor study. This requires an approach and the right policies, taking into account the green and digital transition. Within the discussion panel, Ms. Natalia Efremova, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, emphasized the key role of state policy in forming professional prestige and adapting the workforce. She pointed out that 40% of employers in the EU face difficulties in finding people with appropriate qualifications and skills, with the three main challenges facing the country being: a mismatch between available and required skills, demographic