5,188 Disabled Persons Begin Work in 2023

Jerusalem, 3 December, 2023 (TPS) -- Between January and October, some 5,188 disabled persons began work in Bulgaria, said Deputy Labor and Social Policy Minister Ginka Mashova in a BTA interview.

December 3 marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

On average, some 10,000 jobless people with various degrees of disability have been looking for employment monthly at the labor offices in 2023.

According to Mashova, people from vulnerable groups and in particular those with disabilities are prioritized by labor market policies. Mashova said that there are programs and measures which are targeted at improving their skills too.

People with disabilities may apply for support to start their own business, said Mashova. The allowance has been increased from BGN 20,000 to 30,000. In the past three years the Agency for People with Disabilities has financed 59 projects of people with disabilities to begin their own business.

Businesses may also take advantage of a national program for employment of people with disabilities, set out in the Persons with Disabilities Act. The Employment Promotion Act also stipulates conditions to encourage employers to hire disabled jobless and state subsidies for opening such jobs.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities has been marked since 1992 under a resolution of the UN General Assembly.