MOLDPRES INTERVIEW // ANOFM Director: Increasing employment budget - strategic investment in human capital. Our goal is to employ 25,000 people this year

Over 20,000 people found a job last year with the support of the National Employment Agency (ANOFM), and this year the institution aims to facilitate the employment of another 25,000 citizens. In a context marked by a shortage of labor and rapid transformations on the labor market, ANOFM is expanding its services for the unemployed, young people, returnees from the diaspora and people with disabilities, developing partnerships with employers and preparing the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the European EURES network. In an interview with MOLDPRES, ANOFM Director Raisa Dogaru speaks about developments on the labor market, the most in-demand and best-paid jobs, support measures for employers and jobseekers, as well as how investments of over 196 million lei in employment policies will contribute to increased employment and will bring the Republic of Moldova closer to the European labor market.

MOLDPRES: Last year, ANOFM helped over 20,000 people find a job. How many citizens are currently registered as unemployed? What are the main developments on the labor market?

Raisa Dogaru: ANOFM has the mandate to implement employment policies, which provide services and measures essential for better matching labor demand and supply and increasing the access of vulnerable groups to the labor market. In the previous year, the agency facilitated the employment of over 20,000 people, and for 2026 the goal is to support the integration into the labor market of 25,000 people. Thus, in the first six months of the year, through and with the support of ANOFM’s territorial subdivisions, 12,000 people were placed in jobs.

ANOFM provides services both to people registered with unemployed status and to those looking for a job without holding this status. Since the beginning of the current year, ANOFM’s territorial subdivisions have provided services to over 35,000 people, a higher number compared to the same period last year, of whom 10,696 are registered as unemployed.

The labor market is constantly changing and transforming, with growing demand for specialists and skilled workers in fields such as manufacturing, construction, transport, services and information technology. At the same time, there is a labor shortage and a mismatch between the skills of jobseekers and the requirements of employers. ANOFM’s role is to align employer demand with labor supply, making efforts to reduce this gap through employment services and active measures aimed at facilitating labor market integration.

MOLDPRES: What services does ANOFM offer to people looking for a job? What are the conditions for receiving unemployment benefits?

Raisa Dogaru: ANOFM provides, free of charge, a wide range of services and active measures to people looking for a job, especially those who hold unemployed status. The services include information on employment opportunities, job placement, professional counselling and career guidance. At the same time, the active measures aimed at increasing labor market skills include: vocational training courses based on vouchers, on-the-job training, professional internships, certification of skills acquired in non-formal and informal contexts, as well as other active employment measures that increase the chances of employment for people facing multiple barriers, implemented in partnership with employers and vocational training providers.

Taking into account labor market challenges and the need to identify NEET youth and inactive persons, 26 mobile teams have been created with the support of development partners. These teams travel to more remote localities, informing citizens about available vacancies and the employment measures implemented by ANOFM. In addition, an institutional chatbot has been created to provide information about the labor market, services and measures.

For people who meet the conditions provided by law, ANOFM grants the right to unemployment benefit provided they have accumulated at least 12 months of contribution period in the last 24 months prior to the date of registration with the territorial subdivision of ANOFM. During the registration process, ANOFM specialists provide each applicant with complete information on their rights and obligations.

Unemployed status may be granted to persons fit for work, aged from 16 until reaching retirement age, who have no job, are not enrolled in full-time education and do not carry out activities based on a business patent, and who are actively seeking a job and proving this fact.

MOLDPRES: Citizens returning from the diaspora, young people and people with disabilities are among the categories facing difficulties in finding employment. What actions are you taking to help them find a job more easily?

Raisa Dogaru: These categories are a priority for ANOFM. We provide individualized services tailored to the needs of each person. For young people, we offer career guidance services, vocational training courses, including on-the-job training, and professional internships. Colleagues from territorial subdivisions work with gymnasiums and high schools, organizing information sessions on the labor market, the barometer of opportunities, and ANOFM services, inviting graduating students to use them. Young people are supported in accessing services both offline and online through the COGNITRON platform, managed by ANOFM, which offers various tests and information about occupations, helping people to know themselves better, understand which profession suits them and make the right career decision. Over the first six months of the current year, 11,500 people benefited from career guidance services.

Citizens returning from the diaspora receive support for professional reintegration. During 2025, about 900 people requested assistance, and in the first six months of this year 432 people did so. We strive to take their requests into account, understand the barriers and identify the most appropriate measures for their integration into the labor market by informing them about available jobs, connecting them with employers and recommending the certification of skills acquired in non-formal and informal contexts.

People with disabilities benefit from various services, depending on their needs and on labor market opportunities, while employers are encouraged to create accessible jobs through subsidization measures provided by law. Our objective is for each person to have equal chances for professional integration. In 2025, 1,248 people with disabilities requested support, and in the first six months of the current year 1,085 people with special needs turned to ANOFM.

MOLDPRES: How many jobs are recorded in ANOFM’s database? According to the territorial distribution, which localities have the most and the fewest vacancies?

Raisa Dogaru: Since the beginning of 2026, 26,423 jobs declared by employers have been registered in ANOFM’s database and are being constantly updated. Currently, more than 13,000 vacancies are available in the agency’s records.

The largest numbers of vacancies are registered in the municipality of Chișinău – over 9,000 positions – followed by the municipality of Bălți, with over 1,000 vacancies. These figures reflect the concentration of economic activities in the country’s main urban centers. In contrast, in rural areas and some districts in the north of the country, such as Glodeni and Dondușeni, the number of offers is lower, about 40 vacancies, corresponding to the structure of the local economy.

Out of the total number of declared jobs, 2,671 are intended for people with higher and post-secondary professional education, 6,333 for skilled workers, and 4,431 for unskilled workers.

ANOFM is making constant efforts to promote professional and geographic mobility of the workforce and to facilitate citizens’ access to employment opportunities, regardless of their place of residence.

MOLDPRES: What are the best-paid vacancies registered by ANOFM and in which activity sectors are they found?

Raisa Dogaru: The best-paid jobs declared by employers are usually in fields such as information technology (with salaries from 13,600 lei), engineering (from 10,000 lei), construction (9,800 lei), manufacturing (7,400 lei), transport (9,400 lei) and certain management positions (20,000 lei).

Salaries can reach several tens of thousands of lei, depending on the level of qualification, professional experience and job responsibilities. ANOFM’s database is constantly updated, and all job offers can be consulted both at the agency’s territorial subdivisions and on the digital platform www.angajat.md.

MOLDPRES: Employers are ANOFM’s main partners. What incentives does the state offer companies that create jobs? How do you support employers in finding qualified staff?

Raisa Dogaru: Employers are our strategic partners in developing a functional and competitive labor market. The state provides several measures to stimulate employment, including subsidizing jobs for certain categories of people, compensating costs related to professional internships, supporting on-the-job training and other incentives provided by law.

ANOFM supports employers by identifying and selecting candidates, organizing job fairs and recruitment events, promoting job offers and providing advice on accessing active employment measures. We aim to respond as effectively as possible to the needs of the business environment and to help reduce staff shortages. For example, during 2025, 205 job fairs and recruitment activities were organized, and in the first half of 2026, 117 recruitment activities, including job fairs, were held.

In the first half of the current year, 287 employers also received subsidies for hiring 450 people facing barriers to employment, thus contributing to greater labor market inclusion and facilitating these persons’ access to job opportunities.

MOLDPRES: ANOFM is preparing to join EURES Network. How will this mechanism operate after accession and what benefits will it bring to the citizens of the Republic of Moldova?

Raisa Dogaru: The Republic of Moldova is in the process of joining the European EURES Network, and once this process is completed citizens will benefit from easier and safer access to employment opportunities in the Member States of the European Union.

According to the Government Decision, ANOFM has been designated as EURES Coordination Office in the Republic of Moldova. This means that the agency will coordinate the implementation of the EURES network in our country and will cooperate with partner institutions in the European Union so that citizens and employers in the Republic of Moldova can benefit, under safe and transparent conditions, from all the services and opportunities offered by this network.

Through EURES, jobseekers will have access to verified job offers, information and advice on working and living conditions in other European states, as well as support throughout the recruitment process. At the same time, employers in the Republic of Moldova will be able to promote their vacancies and more easily identify suitable candidates. In essence, joining EURES is an important step in bringing the Republic of Moldova closer to the European labor market, offering citizens and employers more opportunities, greater transparency and more effective support for employment.

MOLDPRES: The state has allocated over 196 million lei this year for the implementation of employment measures. How are these funds used and what long-term effects will these actions have?

Raisa Dogaru: The significant increase in the budget allocated to active employment measures is a strategic investment in human capital and in the economic development of the Republic of Moldova. This year, more than 196 million lei are directed towards implementing the active employment measures provided by law.

The results achieved in the first half of the year show the impact of these measures:

- 1,479 unemployed people were enrolled in voucher-based vocational training courses, of whom 525 have completed their training;

- 89 unemployed people were enrolled in on-the-job training within enterprises;

- 253 people were enrolled in professional internships, of whom 165 have completed them;

- 450 unemployed people were hired through the job subsidization measure;

- 288 unemployed people benefited from compensation of mobility-related expenses;

- 142 unemployed people had their acquired skills certified.

Through these investments, ANOFM continuously contributes to increasing people’s access to labor market opportunities, developing the skills of the workforce required by the national economy, and supporting employers in identifying and hiring qualified staff. In the long term, these measures will strengthen labor market resilience, stimulate sustainable employment and create better job opportunities for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

Thank you!

Reporter: Ala Ciobanu.