Bulgaria proposes incentives for hiring unemployed parents

The Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy has released a draft National Action Plan for Promoting Gender Equality for 2027-2028 for public consultation. A key measure in the plan aims to incentivize employers to hire unemployed parents and adopters with children up to four years of age. To support this, the state will provide funding for wages, social and health insurance, training, and mentorship.

The plan also includes the continuation of the ‘Parents in Employment’ operation, which has a total budget of approximately €33.5 million. This initiative seeks to facilitate the return of parents to the labor market by providing childcare. For children up to five years old who do not attend nursery or kindergarten, up to eight hours of daily care may be provided. For children up to 12 years old belonging to single or large families, up to four hours of daily care is proposed.

The operation aims to include 3,600 participants, with the goal of improving the labor market position of 1,900 of them within six months of completion. The broader plan focuses on five areas: labor market equality and economic independence, reducing pay gaps, increasing decision-making participation for both genders, combating violence, and overcoming gender stereotypes.