Efforts for lower unemployed
At the end of last month the Parliament passed some modifications in the Bill for social assistance.
Finally – light in the tunnel!!!
The change will be to reduce of the limiting 18 months period for continuously getting social assistance for the unemployed. The changes foresee that the period will become one year and would come into force from 1st of July this year. The motives for this change are fully adequate and foresee a shorter period for getting continuously the assistance. There is no argument that this is a good beginning and we could only hope that the period would become even shorter in order to reach the optimum.
During this one year period the unemployed could use the opportunities offered by the National plan for action in employment through the directorate "Labor Bureau" to become literate and/or qualification, prequalification and to start employment. It is not clear however why you need the Plan. We are witnesses of passed programs with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, which actually train and qualify a certain number of people, but could not relate their activities with the labor market. In general, the results are unsatisfactory. More literate people, but still with the profession "unemployed", for which they get the assistance. Naturally the unemployed follow the logic that it is easier that way, because they can and it suits them.
By reducing the period for getting assistance we will encourage job hunting and will reduce the number of people relying on social assistance. On the other hand, the costs for assistance and its administration will be lower and will allow investment in productive activities. Finding jobs faster will inevitable have effect on economic growth with reduction of unemployment. The same applies to the long term unemployed, which will return to the labor market.
Here we have to mention cases of fraud with the social assistance. It is no exception that people work without a contract and get social benefits and they will do it for as long as they could. In the case with reducing the period for getting social assistance would reduce that period.
At the end of the day, one year is a sufficient period to find a job if you want. This is personal realization. If a person is unemployed for a year or more, he would be left behind professionally in the dynamically changing economic environment and if for some this stimulus does not act, the question is whether they should rely on the State to support them and for how long.
In any case education is a personal investment and the responsibility for the quality of life – of the separate individual and not the state and in particular the Ministry.
