Disparities in Education and Their Impact on the Labor Market in Bulgaria

Abstract

The on-going discussion of the disparities, incl. of those in education, are presented. The interconnections between education and the labor market are outlined. The development of the main indicators on the labor market, such as the labor force, employment, unemployment, persons outside of the labor market, are tracked based on the different levels of education for the period 2008-2017 and, on that basis, education is identified as a basic factor for successful labor integration. The analysis of the dynamic and structure of the market indicators allows for the highlighting of the positive and negative tendencies in the development of the disparities on the labor market, which stem from the educational characteristics of the labor force. Particular attention is paid to the assessments of key parameters of the National Development program: Bulgaria 2020 in the European context, underlining the fact that some indicators develop contrary to the expectations, while in the case of others – the difference in comparison to the average European levels remains large. In the context of the evidenced tendencies with regard to the fulfillment of the objectives of the Strategy 2020, an attempt is made to assess the conducted policies and especially the ones, which are aimed at encouraging labor integration through training and qualification; policies that have no alternative and are aimed at decreasing the social disparities and at the inclusion of risk groups in labor activity and at sustainable employment as a way to improve the standard of living.