Is there discrimination on Bulgarian labor market? →
Are all Bulgarians, looking for a job, equal? A research of the Open Society Institute answers that question, being a partner at the Equality as a Path to Progress Project. The other participants in the initiative are the ministry of labor and social policy and the commission for protection against discrimination.
The poll was conducted among 1,200 individuals across the entire country. Another 400 people from other ethnicities and 400 ones with disabilities have been polled in addition, Programme Director of Open Society Maria Metodieva says. The research surveys public attitude, regarding career opportunities, according to five criteria: age, physical disabilities, ethnicity, religion and sexual preferences.
“The major conclusions from the poll are as follows: the existence of physical disabilities is a main reason for limited career opportunities, followed by age and ethnicity. Almost 2/3 of Roma people and 28 percent of people with disabilities said they were rejected as job applicants. Young people, aged 18 – 23 and Bulgarians, aged 46 – 60 are the most affected age groups on the labor market. Each forth polled in these groups has admitted that he or she has personally experienced a negative attitude by the society and employers due exactly to the age. I.e., there are social differences on the labor market and this is quite normal.”
Young people are often offered a job with no formal contracting, Maria Metodieva goes on to say. Some 37.5 of the polled have confirmed that. People, aged over 45, or are about to retire, also face difficulties in finding a job. A bit more than 36 percent say that women take a certain position harder than men. Ethnicity also plays its role at labor negotiations. Some 60 percent of Roma people declare they have been rejected as job applicants due to their ethnicity. Those, who work with labor contracts are mostly Bulgarians, followed by Bulgarian Turks, while barely 54 percent of the polled Roma people can “praise” with such contracts.
However, education affects гсисхж the most, the poll shows. The better the education, the higher the level of employment, social security and payment.
“Our research shows that the employment level with people with primary or lower educational degree is barely 16 percent. Only 23 percent of those with basic education are employed. At the same time nearly 70 percent of people with university degree have a job. I.e. the policy for reduction of social differences at hiring should be aimed at an investment in a better education, responding to the needs of business and private companies.”
Sexuality that is different from the traditional one, also affects the process of job searching. A bit over 40 percent of the polled think that an untraditional sexual orientation is an obstacle in the competition on the labor market, as employers do not trust such applicants. The question “Who is the person that you would never hire?” is answered like that: 32 percent say “Roma people”, more than 25 percent wouldn’t hire a homosexual person, nearly 18 percent would reject pregnant women and 11 percent wouldn’t take people with disabilities.
(source: Dimitrova, Milka. “Is There Discrimination on Bulgarian Labor Market?” Българско национално радио. Trans. Zhitko Stanchev. 18 Jan. 2012. Web. http://bnr.bg/sites/en/Economy/Pages/1801discriminationonlabormarket.aspx)
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