More, better jobs essential for Moldova's development - World Bank report

Chisinau, 24 June /MOLDPRES/ - Young people seeking jobs need a comprehensive system of vocational orientation and better information on education options and occupational opportunities, reads a World Bank report titled, “From Aspirations to Occupations: The Role of Information in Educational and Labour Market Decisions in Moldova.”  

The assistant for communication of the World Bank’s Office from Chisinau has said that, for the first time in Moldova, this report tackled the way the pupils and students take decisions, how much and what kind of professional orientation they regard as useful.

The insufficiency of good jobs is illustrated by the low rate of occupation: about 40 per cent of Moldova’s adult people are working, as compared to 50-60 per cent in other countries of Europe and Central Asia. Moreover, 40 per cent of the enterprises from Moldova said that competences represented a major or significant constraint on development in 2013 – one of the highest rates in Europe and Central Asia.  

The study considers the information sources used by pupils and students, in order to take decisions on education and labour market. In particular, parents were mentioned as principal information source and often co-decision-factors for the pupils and students participating in the survey. At the same time, the fact that parents, within these focus groups, often recognized that they felt unprepared to give advice to their children, is worrying. Pupils and students with less educated parents prove the highest deficit in information, which might exacerbate the inequality.    

“Taking into account the ageing of the population and enhanced migration, each resident of Moldova matters,” World Country Director for Moldova Alex Kremer said. “Informing of young people about opportunities of the labour market is really a less costly way of stimulating more productive jobs for Moldova’s citizens,” Kremer added.    

The recommendations of policies include the improvement of the availability and quality of information on education and labour market, it should be easily used and be more relevant; identifying the needs of children and young people and providing them and their families with the proper information; establishing partnerships with employers and creating innovative instruments of professional orientation.  

“An efficient system of vocational orientation would be anchored in strong networks, involving the cooperation and coordination of all the interested sides. The system would also provide openness to the universe of labour as integral part of the education and training systems,” one of the main authors of the report, Victoria Levin, said.

(Reporter V. Bercu, editor A. Raileanu)