The Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs has presented the national action programme of employment for 2005. Some 21 billion tolars will be allocated to the active employment policy programmes, of which 3.4 billion tolars shall be channelled from the EU social fund.
Minister Vlado Dimovski offered the view that some 15,000 people will be employed next year as a result of the application of active support measures under this programme and that at least 11,400 unemployed people will join education and training programmes. One of the key actions of the national employment policy will be geared towards employing the most disadvantaged groups of population in particular, comprised largely of young people (first time job-seekers), women and the long-term unemployed over 55.
Over 21 billion tolars will be earmarked in the 2005 budget for measures of active employment policy programmes, of which 3.4 billion tolars is to be channelled from the EU social fund. More than 150,000 people will be able to join these programmes. Slovenia must send its programme, which is for the first time fully compatible with the national programmes of other member states in terms of its content and form, to the European Commission by 1st October.
The programme consists of three sections: assessment of conditions on the labour market and economic forecasts, focussing on their impact on employment; responses to each of 10 recommendations of the European employment strategy, giving priority to those which will be most effective on the Slovene labour market; and the implementation procedure of measures and rendering financial sources.
In addition to employing disadvantaged groups within the unemployed population – which contribute to structural imbalances on the labour market – the programme also focuses on the narrowing of differences in inter-regional development as a priority issue of national employment policy, thereby further narrowing the differences between unemployment levels among these areas.
The number of unemployed people registered this year dropped to 90,000 and is expected to further drop to between 83,000 and 84,000 next year. These figures are based on projected economic growth rates (a 3.6% growth is expected this year), better coordination between individual sectors and the implementation of reforms crucial to the labour market but have yet to be implemented.
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