Young people have always been considered a group at
the margin of the Bulgarian labour market. They did not
manage to escape from this unenviable position even
during the 11 consecutive years of economic growth,
mainly due to structural constraints, such as insufficient
qualifications, skills, experience and social capital. Predictably,
young people have suffered a disproportionately
severe blow from the recession, leading to exceptionally
high levels of unemployment and inactivity and low rates
of labour market participation and employment. The economic
crisis has added powerful cyclical factors to the
structural ones.
The present paper explores the latest developments in
the youth situation on the Bulgarian labour market. It
focuses on topics such as youth unemployment, employment,
inactivity, labour market participation, role of
education, demography and economic growth. Young
people are analysed in terms of their gender, sex, age,
duration of joblessness, social status and the like. The
main causes of being unemployed at a young age are
also identified and commented on. Additional attention
is paid to the main traits of young people in employment.
Finally, youth employment policies are presented
and their effect on young people is analysed. The paper
concludes with some policy recommendations on how
to make youth labour market participation easier and
more effective