Head of the Delegation of Bulgarian Socialists in the European Parliament Petar Vitanov is organizing a round table discussing job opportunities for young adults on Friday, April 7, Vitanov's press office reported Tuesday. According to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), the discussion will be attended by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds Management Atanas Pekanov, Bulgarian Education Minister Sasho Penov, Bulgarian Justice Minister Krum Zarkov, Bulgarian Sports Minister Vesela Lecheva, Bulgarian Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Emil Mingov, Economist Advisor at Podkrepa Confederation of Labour Vanya Grigorova, Bulgarian Industrial Association Secretary General Milena Angelova, CITUB Vice President Lyuboslav Kostov, Chairman of the National Representation of Student Councils Daniel Parushev, Chairman of the Student Club of Political Science Ivaylo Iliev, Chairman of the National Youth Forum Miroslav Tsekov, Trend Agency C-founder Evelina Slavkova, and others. Identifying inactive youth and including them in employment, education and training is a major structural challenge for policy makers, business and NGOs in Bulgaria. It is indispensable for overcoming labour shortages and improving the match between labour supply and demand. Ensuring a smooth transition from education to employment and sustainable incomes is an important prerequisite for reducing poverty, reducing the share of the working poor and breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Higher youth unemployment and, as a consequence, the risk of marginalisation, social exclusion and poverty, justify the need to develop new approaches and specific tools to monitor and support young people who remain outside the labour market, out of education and training.
