At the backdrop of the huge interest shown recently in career exhibitions for Bulgarian students in Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria, the first career forum for the large Bulgarian academic community in the Netherlands opens on Saturday. The meeting place is in the administrative capital of The Hague, chosen because of the presence of many young people who have chosen to study there. According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, whose initiative is to organize career forums abroad, the number of Bulgarian students at different universities in Europe is between 6 and 9 thousand. About 2,500 are those who study in the Netherlands in a wide range of majors, including economics, business, engineering and information technology, finance, etc. Therefore, during the one-day forum in The Hague on October 5, there will be representatives from different business sectors in Bulgaria. The companies present are active in the spheres of IT, consulting and financial services. There are insurers, software companies, as well as various companies looking for people with engineering and technical education, including medical personnel. The aim is to establish contacts between employers and future professionals.

An optimistic forecast for the attitudes of educated Bulgarians towards returning back to their homeland was given by career forums held in the spring. In a poll among students in Germany and England, about 80% of Bulgarians said they were considering internships and work in Bulgaria. "We believe that The Hague Forum will also enable many young people who study at prestigious universities in the Netherlands to meet with employers and make sure that the growth of incomes in certain sectors in our country has been significant," says Zornitsa Rusinova, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy.

"In the last few years, the record fall in unemployment, which in the last quarter in Bulgaria is below 4%, gives us reason to actively organize career fairs. Now the main problem of most Bulgarian employers, as well as European ones, is the lack of people for the respective positions offered. That is why this year we launched a joint initiative with Bulgarian employers - to present not only specific jobs, but also summarized data on the economic situation of the country, as well as forecasts regarding the labor market. Traditionally, over 200 students and between 30 and 40 companies participate in such type of forums. In addition to the presentation of the Ministry, there are accompanying events of various industry chambers and organizations. For example, the Employment Agency will present job vacancies at 22 Bulgarian employers in various sectors with salaries ranging between 750 and 1500 euros a month. I think this is a good way to attract attention not only to specific jobs, but also to give a slightly broader view on specific sectors, in order to help the professional orientation of young people in Bulgaria. We have already recognized the willingness of young people to return to their homeland, and I believe that we will soon find a much better balance with employers to offer a more attractive package of additional incentives so that our young compatriots decide to return to our country.”

An impression during career forums this year was the great interest shown by Bulgarians who are not students but practice some profession abroad. This shows the state administration with the improvement of working conditions in the country, more active and qualified Bulgarians would come back to their to their homeland.

English: Alexander Markov