In the Republic of Moldova, a significant number of people are not looking for a job. Last year, 560,000 people aged between 24 and 64, considered able to work, were out of work. However, the situation was better than in 2019, when 681,000 people able to work were jobless, Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexei Buzu said at a press club meeting. “We, through the policies we designed, reduced the inactive population. Even if we have half a million inactive people, it is the lowest number in the last five years,” IPN quoted the official as saying.

Alexei Buzu noted that the highest number of employed women, including women with disabilities, was recorded in 2023. However, it is not enough. In Moldova, half a million people able to work do not look for a job because they retired too early or want to emigrate. There are approximately 137,000 women out of work because they take care of a family member, child or adult. “We didn’t consider investing in nurseries, in kindergartens. Who are the lowest paid people in the public sector in the Republic of Moldova? It’s the people who take care of other people,” said the official. The minister went on to say that opening a crèche means children who socialize, parents who can go to work quicker, a bigger budget for that family, revenues to the state budget.

On the other hand, there are many people who work, but who do not contribute to the budget. In the past two weeks, the State Labor Inspectorate has identified around 80 people working without a contract. The figure is comparable to what the Inspectorate identified throughout 2022. “For us, what is clear in 2024 is that the direction is right. Now we have to make sure that we move much faster, much broader,” stated the minister.

Alexei Buzu expressed his confidence that many more people can be employed, that the quality of social assistance interventions can be improved and then performance should become not the exception, but the norm.