The OECD and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG Reform) are providing technical support to assist Bulgaria’s National Employment Agency (NEA) in enhancing its technological and administrative capabilities across a wide range of areas.
Bulgaria faces labour market challenges due to an ageing population, labour shortages in some sectors, and the need for inclusive employment opportunities, particularly for marginalised groups. Additionally, the digital and green transitions necessitate upskilling and adapting to changing labour demand.
The project is connected to a previous DG Reform and OECD project on Activating inactive persons, Bulgaria (2020-2022).
Starting in September 2023 and for a period of two years, the OECD in cooperation with EC DG Reform will work with the NEA across a range of activities to support the NEA to optimise its processes and services.
This includes reviewing existing processes and services of the NEA through desk research, stakeholder consultations and analysing data; developing an action plan to propose a new NEA operating model; developing an implementation plan for a digital tool; carrying out an analysis of NEA needs to support the green transition in the labour market; and carrying out an impact evaluation of a specific ALMP in close cooperation with NEA staff. A series of capacity building and knowledge exchange events will also support the NEA’s understanding of these topics.
This type of support could be relevant to other countries seeking to improve the operational processes and services of their public employment service. Particular areas that may be of interest to other countries include i) how to build analytical capacity and optimises processes and services of the public employment service ii) how public employment services are preparing for the green transition; and iii) how digital tools can support better matching of jobseekers to employers.
Contact: Activation@oecd.org
Funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the OECD, in cooperation with the European Commission.
