Moldovan labour minister says over 16,000 people employed in 2024

Chisinau, 30 December /MOLDPRES/ - The state has employed over 16,600 people since the beginning of this year. This is a twice higher result as compared to the 2022 year and by 33 per cent more against the 2023 year. Labour and Social Protection Minister Alexei Buzu unveiled data to this effect at a today’s news conference. At the event, the minister presented the most important results achieved in 2024.   
The official noted that, at present, ‘’a lot of people able for work are outside the labour market, which negatively influences the country’s economy.’’ To remedy the situation, two important reforms were initiated in the social protection sector in 2023.  
„It is about the reform of the National Employment Agency (ANOFM). Due to this reform, the needs of the people who look for jobs can be fulfilled much more quickly. At the same time, the reform led to a ten-fold decrease in the number of unemployed people who enjoy social benefit. Nevertheless, the number is much larger in several districts. Also, in the 2023 year, there were 48,000 jobless people and ANOFM managed to employ 39 per cent of them,’’ Alexei Buzu said.   
The minister stressed that great progress had been made also in the reduction of the informal labour. ‘’We have a lot of people who work, but who do not pay taxes, as they do not have an official labour contract. The State Labour Inspectorate identified about 3,100 people who were working without official labour contract. Eighty percent of them have been already officialized, due to the intervention of labour inspectors. What the State Labour Inspectorate did in the 2024 had not been possible in the last ten years. In 2023, about a half a million of people able for work were not registered on the labour market. Our target for the 2025 year is to make sure that all people who can work can find a job,’’ Alexei Buzu also said.      
The official stressed that the reforms underway this year had been carried out in a complicated context, with more crises. In the context, the minister thanked all colleagues in the social sector for the effort made in the daily work.
„In 2024, we purchased 98 vehicles for social assistants. We started monitoring much better the way the social assistance system provides assistance to families in need. There is the Mobile Teams Service in all districts of the country. Another service launched was the one of home care. I thank the colleagues who daily fight for the interest of the beneficiaries,’’ Alexei Buzu added.  
The official specified that, in the next year, the main priorities would regard the continuation of the reforms and the backing of the commitments, reducing the unemployment rate and supporting the vulnerable families.