The European Union and the International Labour Organization provide support for the reform and development of the labour market in Moldova

Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The European Union has allocated €2 million to reform key institutions regulating the labour market in the Republic of Moldova. The project “EU support to inclusive labour markets in the Republic of Moldova”, implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO), was launched today.

The two-year project aims to improve the access to better employment opportunities in the Republic of Moldova. The project launch conference took place during the joint visit to Moldova of the European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, and ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo.

“After reforming the State Labour Inspectorate, we launched a campaign of random visits to detect undeclared work. In just a few months, SLI identified over 456 cases of undeclared work and legalised over 80% of cases, compared to an average of 40 cases over a similar period in the last 5 years. In 2023, the National Employment Agency provided more than 11,000 jobseekers with jobs and offered career counselling to more than 16,000 people, mostly pupils and students. I would like to thank our development partners from the European Commission and the International Labour Organisation, with whose support we have started these reforms and continue to implement them and achieve visible improvements for our citizens“, declared Minister of Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Alexei Buzu.

One of the objectives of the Project is to improve the performance of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MoLSP) and the National Employment Agency (NEA) to prevent and address exclusion from the labour market. This objective is designed to improve the institutional capacity of the MoLSP and NEA to meet the objectives set out in the Employment Policy Framework. The newly launched Project will include the diversification of employment services and programmes, the expansion of individualised service delivery, the improvement of the performance management system and the enhancement of the internal training system for NEA staff.

“As Moldova prepares to join the EU, this is a great opportunity to boost its labour market and social protection systems. Ultimately, Moldova’s wealth is its people: by investing in their skills, by creating quality jobs, and by combatting poverty and social exclusion, you get a win-win: for social inclusion and for the economy. I am proud to launch the new EU-ILO project today together with ILO DG Houngbo, to improve job prospects and make Moldova a more inclusive and prosperous country, ahead of its accession to the EU”, stated European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit.

The Project also aims to enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MoLSP) and the State Labour Inspectorate (SLI) to improve working conditions and protect workers’ rights. The objective focuses on improving the SLI’s ability to fulfil its state audit mandate. This includes reviewing the legal framework and internal policies, strategic planning of inspection visits, improving the training system for SLI staff, modernising SLI procedures and information system, working closely with social partners and providing material support.

The International Labour Organization will provide the necessary support in terms of advocacy, technical assistance, methodologies and relevant tools to ensure that the capacities of the NEA and SLI are strengthened in line with institutional assessments, as well as international labour standards and relevant ILO policy guidelines.

“I have come to Moldova for the second time to re-affirm to our tripartite constituents that the ILO is fully committed to work with them in improving access to more and better employment opportunities building an inclusive and fair labour market. I would like to thank the European Commission for their support in our common objective to advance decent work in Moldova,” said the ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo.

Figures show that almost 30% of young women and men in Moldova are in the NEET category (not in employment, education nor training).

In the Republic of Moldova, women’s participation in the labour market is over 40%. This is a low indicator compared to the European Union, where the rate is over 70%. Due to stereotypes, women are subject to suspicious treatment when applying for jobs, and the gender pay gap in the country is around 16%.

In the Republic of Moldova, people with disabilities have difficulties in finding and keeping jobs and enjoying fair treatment compared to people without disabilities. In 2023, only 15.8% of people with disabilities were officially employed. This is partly due to the limited knowledge of people with disabilities about their right to work and employment opportunities, limited access to rehabilitation, career guidance and vocational training, inaccessible infrastructure, low self-confidence of people with disabilities and reluctance of employers to offer jobs to this group of citizens.

The reform of key institutions such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and two public agencies under its authority, the National Employment Agency and the State Labour Inspectorate, is essential for the Government to implement coherent labour, employment and social protection policies, ensure labour market inclusion, safe working conditions and productive jobs.

The Project will focus its activities on improving the legal framework, policies and capacity to increase access to the labour market and improve working conditions in Moldova. It will also support the alignment of national labour and employment legislation with the EU acquis and ILO standards.

Background information

The project “EU support to inclusive labour markets in the Republic of Moldova” is implemented by ILO with total EU funding of €2,000,000. Its main objective is to improve the access to more and better job opportunities in the country and it directly targets 3 beneficiaries: the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the National Employment Agency and the State Labour Inspectorate.

The project will focus its activities on improving the legal framework, policies and capacity to increase access to the labour market and improve working conditions in Moldova. The implementers will also provide support to bring national labour legislation in line with the EU acquis communautaire and ILO international standards.