Nearly nine in 10 employers in Bulgaria, or 86 per cent, lamented that finding the staff that they needed was highly problematic, a survey by global headhunter Manpower has found.
The survey, done in July and August 2007, draws on the responses of 300 human resource specialists in small, medium and large enterprises.
In a media statement, the agency attributed the problems to "shortage in labour force, the mismatch between employers' offer and expectations of employees, the overly dynamic labour market and the inflow of new employers".
Another major conclusion was that part-time jobs as a type of employment were yet to gain popularity both with employers and employees. Employers were refraining from adopting Western Europe's most common type of employment because Bulgaria was yet to enforce regulations on part-time work. Workers, for their part, were cautious because part-time was most often associated with lack of clarity and uncertainty, Manpower said.
Even though 77 per cent of all companies reported having an HR specialist or department, 82 per cent of respondents said that they resorted to the services of specialised recruiters. The use of HR agencies has mainly been predicated on the shortage of labour and as such, outsourcing has been deemed the best solution to the problem. Companies tend to hire a headhunter when in need of a qualified specialist (54 per cent) or an employee working for a competitor (31 per cent).
When on the lookout for employees, employers tend to use a variety of job search channels. About 20 per cent use ads in print media, 19 per cent in online portals, 18 a personal recommendation and eight per cent resort to labour offices.
Manpower Bulgaria's executive director Nadia Vassileva said that a number of workforce-related problems could be solved if business established long-term relations with academic institutions. This so-called "reciprocity model" was essential as communication with academics, alongside investment in education, in effect represented a long-term investment in the business itself.
