SOFIA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- A study by the Institute for Market Economics, released on Tuesday, revealed a significant mismatch between vocational education and labor market needs in Bulgaria.
Vocational education is available nationwide, with projected enrollment for the 2024/2025 school year expected to exceed 36,000 students, accounting for 59 percent of total secondary education enrollment, according to the study.
This year, vocational programs cover 142 professions in 14 fields, with the highest student enrollment in transport equipment technician, restaurateur and chef programs.
However, the demand in the labor market for the upcoming year is highest in architecture and construction, engineering, and production and processing, which together make up over 60 percent of total demand. Despite this, the study found that admissions in these fields account for only 36 percent of vocational school enrollment.
For 15 of the 20 most in-demand professions, vocational education supplies less than 1 percent of the required workforce or none at all.
The profession of builder with the highest reported need accounts for 15 percent of all sought-after specialists, yet only 0.2 percent of students enter this field. Similarly, the demand for tailors and machine operators exceeds 6 percent each, yet vocational programs in these fields enroll just 0.3 percent of students.
In 2023, vocational education graduates accounted for one-third of Bulgaria's labor force, comprising 944,000 individuals, the study noted.
