Bulgaria Faces Critical Shortage of Qualified Workforce

The shortage of qualified professionals entering the Bulgarian labor market has consistently ranked among the top three challenges for businesses over the past five years, and in recent years, it has climbed to the top two, following economic uncertainty. This was stated by Vasil Velev, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio. Velev was speaking ahead of a forum focused on aligning education with labor market demands, where alarming statistics are set to be presented.

According to Velev, since 2018, the number of vocational education graduates has dropped by a third, despite no significant decline in the birth rate. Secondary school graduates have decreased by 20%, and primary school graduates by 15%. Compounding this issue is the declining quality of education, as highlighted by Bulgaria's performance in PISA tests. The country has double the OECD average of underperforming students and three times fewer high achievers, with these results worsening over time.

Velev pointed out that the mismatch between the structure of vocational education and labor market needs exacerbates the problem. Fields such as economics, arts, tourism, and services are oversaturated, while there is a shortage of graduates in technology, construction, and transport - areas in high demand. This disconnect continues at the university level, where a significant proportion of students pursue studies in economic, social, and legal sciences, rather than technical, natural, and mathematical disciplines, which are more aligned with labor market requirements.

The chairman stressed that over 40% of university graduates do not find jobs requiring higher education. He attributed this to the ...