Bulgaria: Job opportunities through business support

Women in Bulgaria collect wild berries and herbs.
Through the “JOBS in Herbs” component of the JOBS Programme, 100 unemployed people from the villages of Medeni Polyani and Pobit Kamuk, including 16 Roma, have been trained in collecting wild berries and herbs, and given seedlings and land for cultivation. Photo:UNDP

When Sevdalina Pavlova told people she planned to set up a pastry shop in the basement of a local bus station, many in the Bulgarian town of Devin thought she was joking. In 2000, people saw launching a business as a risky proposition. Few dared to start from scratch in a small, remote community suffering from 35 percent unemployment.

Pavlova sought assistance from a business centre set up by the Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of an effort to support women entrepreneurs in the country. The business centre helped Pavlova plan every step of her pastry enterprise and gave her a loan guarantee of US$2,500.

Results

  • The project has created 37,000 jobs since 2000.
  • 42 business support centres were established, most of them in rural areas.
  • 60,900 people learned new skills.

Now, Pavlova is the owner of a stable small enterprise. In 2009, she employed nine people and was preparing to expand the size of her shop.

This story is not unique. The business centre that gave Pavlova her start is one of 42 centres that have helped create over 37,700 jobs across the country. It is part of the ‘Job Opportunities Through Business Support’ (JOBS) programme that ran from 2000 to 2009, spearheaded by the Government and UNDP.

The $29.7 million programme introduced a mixture of employment training, business support and microfinance. It helped 60,900 persons learn new skills. The programme was funded largely by the Bulgarian government, and by an array of international donors and local municipalities.

The business centres have measurably reduced unemployment. Between 2000 and 2008, the national unemployment rate fell by almost 15 per cent. Significantly, localities with JOBS business centres enjoyed an even steeper rate of decline. In small villages, for example, the unemployment rate fell by almost 20 per cent. Furthermore, cities with JOBS business centres saw their unemployment rates dip below the national average by 2008.

As part of this process, business centres have given minorities and vulnerable groups a critical lifeline. They have provided vulnerable groups with tailor-made services and programmes—notably in tourism, herb growing and crafts. A rich menu of vocational courses, start-up grants and leasing opportunities, as well as successful business centres in Roma communities, are some of the key achievements.

While the JOBS programme formally ended in 2009, the business centres continue, providing services to local communities.. JOBS has given an entire generation of professionals a strong grounding in civil-sector service and local economic activities.

Read the full story in our publication "Empowering Lives, Building Resilience"