site.btaInformal Labour Sector Remains Serious Indicator of Seasonal Employment Problems, Economic and Social Council Analysis Shows

The informal labour sector remains one of the most serious indicators of seasonal employment problems, the Economic and Social Council (ESC) said on Tuesday.

ESC worked out an analysis on the Problems of seasonal employment in Bulgaria - duration, permanent employment, income and social security contributions, qualification of employees. The analysis was done at the suggestion of National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova. The document, distributed to the media, was approved by the ESC plenary session. 

Seasonal employment is an essential element of the labour market in Bulgaria. Several areas require targeted legislative and management interventions. These concern the need to improve the collection, analysis and dissemination of statistics related to seasonal employment for effective management and policy development, ESC said.

Due to growing dependence on workers from third countries in certain sectors, an effective regulation of the process is needed, in accordance with the needs of the economy and the rights of the workers, as well as a review of the sectors where work depends on the changing seasons.

Data from the National Employment Agency shows that in the last six years the average share of seasonal jobs provided by labour bureaus makes up between 10 and 13% of all jobs.

Working without a labour contract in seasonal employment is a permanent phenomenon in Bulgaria, according to data from the General Labour Inspectorate. In the past three years this happened in about 10% of the cases, the inspections found. The data on employment contract violations are also worrying.

The European Labour Authority and the European Migration Network highlight a number of findings that are relevant to attracting seasonal workers and respecting their rights, aimed at ensuring decent working conditions, fair pay and adequate accommodation, effective labour law enforcement, regular inspections to prevent exploitation, providing easily accessible information on seasonal workers' rights and obligations in a language they understand, and the need for regulation and quality control on the activities of employment intermediaries in order to prevent violations, ESC said.

ESC finds it important to promote dialogue between employers, workers and government institutions in order to find sustainable solutions to the problems associated with seasonal employment.