Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Lazar Lazarov was elected as chairman of the Public Council for Restriction and Prevention of the Informal Economy and Undeclared Employment, which held its meeting on December 5, 2019. The Council was established on the idea of Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) in partnership with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) in 2009.

The main objective of the Public Council is to provide synergies between the social partners, the various state institutions and the media for limiting and preventing undeclared employment and the informal economy, as well as to make recommendations for improving the implementation of project activities as needed under Project BG05M9OP001-1.051-0001 “Improving access to employment and job quality by limiting and preventing undeclared employment”. It meets at least once every six months and generates ideas for implementing actions to curb and prevent undeclared employment.

At its meeting, the Public Council adopted updated rules for its work, as well as a methodology for conducting national surveys to analyze forms and evaluate the size of undeclared employment at national level and its manifestations in the sectors most affected. The data collected and the analyzes made will serve to produce a National map of undeclared employment.

“Fighting the gray economy is a major priority for us, and I cannot fail to note that our country has achieved remarkable success in the last 10 years. According to our measurements, it has decreased by almost 15 percentage points compared to 2010 – from 35.4% to 20.9%. However, undeclared employment remains the most widespread and sustainable gray practice in Bulgaria that we still cannot let’s get over it. The highest percentage of taxes – 53% – is “saved” from the concealment of the income that individuals receive from employment contracts. I believe that by working on this project we will be able to identify measures to curb this undeclared employment that is hurting all Bulgarians, ”said Vasil Velev, Chairman of the BICA Board, who opened the meeting. President-elect Lazar Lazarov supported the work of the council and said: “I assure you that as President of the Council, I will make every effort to bring about a reduction in the rate of undeclared employment. It is a long process that requires a change in the thinking of all participants in it – employers, employees and workers and the state. Thank you for your trust. “

Fighting undeclared employment and the informal economy are not just BICA priorities, so representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the National Social Security Institute, the National Statistical Institute, the General Labor Inspectorate, the Employment Agency, the National Revenue Agency participate in the Public Council , State Committee on Commodity Exchanges and Markets, representatives of various committees of the National Assembly, CITUB.

Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy Lazar Lazarov was elected chairman of the Public Council for Restriction and Prevention of the Informal Economy and Undeclared Employment, which held its meeting on December 5, 2019. The Council was established on the idea of ​​the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) in partnership with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB) in 2009.

The main objective of the Public Council is to provide synergies between the social partners, the various state institutions and the media for limiting and preventing undeclared employment and the informal economy, as well as to make recommendations for improving the implementation of project activities as needed under Project BG05M9OP001-1.051-0001 “Improving access to employment and job quality by limiting and preventing undeclared employment”. It meets at least once every six months and generates ideas for implementing actions to curb and prevent undeclared employment.

At its meeting, the Public Council adopted updated rules for its work, as well as a methodology for conducting national surveys to analyze forms and evaluate the size of undeclared employment at national level and its manifestations in the sectors most affected. The data collected and the analyzes made will serve to produce a National map of undeclared employment.

“Fighting the gray economy is a major priority for us, and I cannot fail to note that our country has achieved remarkable success in the last 10 years. According to our measurements, it has decreased by almost 15 percentage points compared to 2010 – from 35.4% to 20.9%. However, undeclared employment remains the most widespread and sustainable gray practice in Bulgaria that we still cannot let’s get over it. The highest percentage of taxes – 53% – is “saved” from the concealment of the income that individuals receive from employment contracts. I believe that by working on this project we will be able to identify measures to curb this undeclared employment that is hurting all Bulgarians, ”said Vasil Velev, Chairman of the BICA, who opened the meeting. President-elect Lazar Lazarov supported the work of the council and said that “I assure you that as President of the Council, I will make every effort to bring about a reduction in the rate of undeclared employment. It is a long process that requires a change in the thinking of all participants in it – employers, employees and workers and the state. Thank you for your trust. “

Fighting undeclared employment and the informal economy are not just BICA priorities, so representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, the National Social Security Institute, the National Statistical Institute, the General Labor Inspectorate, the Employment Agency, the National Revenue Agency participate in the Public Council , State Committee on Commodity Exchanges and Markets, representatives of various committees of the National Assembly, CITUB, Confederation of Labor, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, BCCI, CRIBE, BNR, Economist magazine, Darik Radio, Monitor and more.

The project “Improving Access to Employment and Job Quality by Restricting and Preventing Undeclared Employment” is being implemented by BICA and CITUB partners in the period 2019 – 2022, its goals being to develop specific tools for preventing and limiting undeclared employment , to develop a sub-index to calculate it and to train and consult 4,000 individuals and 300 businesses on how to apply these tools, with the project also focusing on new forms of employment.