Roma Education Fund

Reframing the Future of Work

Posted on October 29, 2025 by admin1

By Marina Savković, team leader Skills and Employment Roma Education Fund

On 21 October 2025 in Sofia, the Future of Work Summit, organized by Capital / Economedia, brought together business leaders, HR experts, entrepreneurs and civil society representatives to discuss how artificial intelligence, automation and digital transformation are reshaping industries and jobs. Although technological change is accelerating, one message resonated throughout the event: the future of work must remain human-centred. Even under conditions of rapid technological disruption, it is people, their skills, resilience and capacity to learn, who determine whether economies grow or stagnate.

In this sense, the conversation on labour market participation was not separate from the discussions on AI. It was foundational. Bulgaria is already operating with a shrinking workforce, and technology alone cannot fill the emerging labour gaps. The key question is not only how to prepare the workforce for the jobs of tomorrow, but also who will be included in that workforce at all.

A Reality We Must Acknowledge

Bulgaria is among the countries most affected by demographic decline, with a persistent shortage of workers across sectors, reaching up to 30% less workers than needed. The only remaining labour reserves within the country are located among groups that have historically been excluded, Roma in particular, who are estimated to represent more than 10% of the Bulgarian population (Council of Europe, 2023).

According to the FRA Roma Survey 2024, paid employment among Roma in Bulgaria reaches approximately 62%, while employment in the general population is significantly higher. However, this employment is still not formal and stable in most of the cases. A national study from 2024 further shows that the NEET rate among Roma youth aged 15–29 is 53.6%, compared to around 19.3% among the general youth population. These figures reflect real people, real potential and structural barriers that continue to constrain Bulgaria’s economic growth.

During his keynote, Željko Jovanović, President of the Roma Foundation for Europe, underlined that the cost of labour exclusion of Roma in Bulgaria reaches nearly €2 billion annually. The question, he stressed, is not whether Roma can contribute to the economy — they already do — but how much more Bulgaria stands to gain once systemic barriers are removed. This is not a discussion about social spending. It is a discussion about strategic economic development.

Ciprian Necula, Executive President of the Roma Education Fund, reinforced this message by sharing concrete examples of Roma entering stable employment through training and mentoring models developed in cooperation with employers, state authorities and vocational institutions. He spoke about young people who, once offered structured guidance and targeted learning opportunities, successfully entered long-term employment; about households whose economic prospects changed when one member secured a contract; and about companies that benefitted from a steady and motivated workforce through ongoing collaboration with REF teams. These stories are proof that when training aligns with real job requirements and support continues beyond hiring, employment stabilises and careers begin to grow. They also demonstrate that REF is a credible partner for Bulgarian employers, capable of helping them build and retain their workforce.

A Direction We Can Choose

What stayed with me most from the Summit did not happen on stage, but in the conversations between sessions. Several employers expressed genuine interest in co-designing employment pathways together with the Roma Education Fund and the Roma Foundation for Europe. Their questions were practical and forward-looking: how to structure training, how mentoring can support retention, what timeframes match production cycles. The openness was sincere. Follow-up discussions are already underway.

This readiness matters. It marks a shift from seeing Roma employment as a social obligation to recognising it as a shared economic opportunity rooted in real labour market demand.

The Path Forward

The Future of Work Summit reminded us that the future of work is not something that simply happens to us. It is something we shape—through the decisions we make about who has access to technology, to work, to learning, to economic security and to dignity.

Roma are not peripheral to this story. They are one of the few remaining sources of labour force expansion in Bulgaria, and a vital one — if we choose to invest wisely and collaboratively.

The opportunity is real, measurable and within reach. And what I witnessed in Sofia this October — in discussions, in hallways, and in conversations full of intention — gives me genuine reason to believe that we are closer to real progress than ever before.

Roma are the Growth Engine the Western Balkans Can’t Afford to Ignore

Posted on October 13, 2025 by admin1

By Marina Savković, Team Leader for Skills & Employment, Roma Education Fund

The World Bank has sounded the alarm and the Western Balkans should be paying attention. Growth is running on borrowed time. With half the region’s talent sitting on the sidelines, prosperity is hitting a demographic wall. The numbers are blunt: a looming shortfall of 190,000 workers, and entire groups (women, young people, older adults) still missing from the labour market. The takeaway couldn’t be clearer: getting Roma into work isn’t just social policy, it’s smart economics.

At the Roma Education Fund, we’re ready to scale up that activation, not as an add-on, but as a core driver of regional growth. Education is the foundation, employment the bridge. Bring them together, and Roma inclusion can shift from the margins to the mainstream. The only question now is whether policymakers will seize the moment or keep hitting snooze on the region’s wake-up call.

Roma Inclusion as a Growth Accelerator – Why labour markets must no longer ignore us

The World Bank’s new report Jobs Critical to Sustaining Growth in the Western Balkans delivers a serious message: the region is heading into a labour crunch. Over the next five years, the Western Balkans could face a shortfall of more than 190,000 workers if current demographic and labour market trends persist. Meanwhile, unemployment across the region stays above 10 percent, and labour force participation hovers below 55 percent — with women, youth, and older adults as the most under-represented groups.

These figures are not abstract. They validate what REF and many practitioners have observed on the ground for years: excluding any large group from education and employment is a growth risk. If the Western Balkans wants to compete, it must start seeing Roma as an essential strategy for workforce expansion and resilience.

How the World Bank’s Findings Echo REF’s New Mission?

The Bank’s Jobs Critical to Sustaining Growth in the Western Balkans report identifies the same structural challenges that REF has been addressing for years and points to solutions that lie at the heart of our programs.

First, the World Bank underlines a paradox: even with high unemployment, employers can’t find the workers they need. The problem isn’t a lack of people, it’s barriers in skills, access, and inclusion. These are exactly the barriers REF’s education and employability work seeks to dismantle.

Second, it emphasizes the need to activate underrepresented groups, particularly women, youth, and older adults. These groups often face multiple barriers to entering the labor market. Roma youth, positioned at the intersection of these vulnerabilities — young, marginalized, and often excluded on ethnic grounds — are among those most affected, and most in need of targeted activation.

Third, the report warns of a sharp demographic decline, projecting that the working-age population in the Western Balkans could shrink by nearly 20 percent by 2050. This trend makes the activation of all available human capital — including Roma communities — not only desirable, but indispensable.

Finally, the Bank calls for structural reforms to boost participation and productivity: greater investment in foundational education and health, stronger labour-market inclusion, digital and green skills development, and business environments that attract private capital.

In essence, the World Bank is underscoring exactly what REF has long advocated: that bridging the gap between marginalized communities and the core economy is not charity, but smart economic policy and a precondition for sustainable growth.

How REF’s Approach Responds and What We Propose for Scaling?

Over the past two decades, REF has built robust educational and support systems for Roma children and youth: scholarships, inclusive pedagogy, mentoring, public advocacy, and capacity strengthening in partner schools. That foundation is essential but not sufficient. Education must lead to sustainable livelihoods.

That is why REF now pivots toward employability and activation. Our Skills & Employment strategic program is designed to offer relevant, market‐oriented training in sectors where growth and demand are emerging: digital, green economy, technical trades, service industries. We are building stronger linkages between trainees and employers, embedding mentorship, internships, and job placement support.

In doing so, we anchor our strategy in local realities: capturing sectoral data, consulting with employers, adjusting training curricula to evolving needs, and monitoring which interventions result in sustainable employment. We aim for measurable outcomes not only “number of workshops held,” but number of Roma youth placed in real, dignified jobs.

By aligning public policies, employer initiatives, and community action, Roma employability can move from the margins into the mainstream. Together — governments, businesses, and organizations like REF — we can turn inclusion into one of the Western Balkans’ strongest competitive advantages.