In the first months of the year, 44 Roma were employed through the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM), highlighting the challenges faced by this ethnic group in the job market.
A total of over 14,000 people were hired, with vulnerable groups, including 242 individuals with disabilities, making up a small percentage of the total.
Discrimination and social barriers are significant obstacles for Roma individuals seeking employment, as noted by a young Roma woman, Ecaterina Pitula.
Roma face high unemployment and discrimination, often leading them to work in the informal economy with low-paying jobs.
Marko, a 25-year-old from Kraljevo, struggled for three years to find a job after completing his hospitality education, facing consistent rejection due to prejudices against Roma. His experience reflects a broader issue in Serbia, where many Roma encounter similar barriers in the job market.
The articles discuss the broader challenges faced by Roma, including high unemployment rates, lack of access to education and healthcare, and the prevalence of working in the informal economy.
The BBC one emphasizes the need for targeted support and educational opportunities to improve the employment prospects of Roma, particularly women, who face additional discrimination and economic dependency.
The employment of Roma from excluded communities depends heavily on whether there is a crisis or growth, the IFP Chart of the Day shows. While only 16% of them were working in 2013, in the following six favourable years it was on average 24%. However, the pandemic interrupted this trend and the subsequent recovery has been slow.
Another of those statistics, this time in Northern Macedonia where the Commission for the Prevention and Protection against Discrimination (CPPD) today presented its thematic report on discrimination against Roma women in the field of employment relations, on the eve of International Women’s Day, March 8. According to the commission, only 8% of Romnja have a job, and most are subject to discrimination.
There is a catch … The country doesn’t know how many Roma effectively live there…
A blunt (and Slovak) summary about the cotroversy on János Lázár, the Hungarian minister who said that if there is no migrant workforce, then Roma in Hungary will have to fill jobs such as cleaning toilets on InterCity trains.
The Municipality of Kočevje in Slovenia is investing extensive and long-term efforts in Roma integration, especially in the field of preschool education, but Mayor Gregor Košir warns that without changes at the state level there will be no real breakthrough. He says “As long as it is not worth it for people to work, we can forget about Roma integration”.
He is putting the carriage in front of the ox. As long as there is no prospect of work, there is no integration …
Roma and long-term unemployed people joined the restoration of monuments. They managed to restore 31. The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Roma Communities (ÚSVRK) reported it. The completion of the People and Castles project is therefore assessed as successful.
Well, transporting stones and digging holes is not a long-term integration. So while it was good that it is done, the long term impact is more than relative.
The Dolenjska People’s Initiative, which brings together six people’s initiatives from the Dolenjska region and one from the Ljubljana region, last week presented a proposal for a program for the social and work activation of employees, which would also regulate the employment of Roma. Basically, Roma would need to enrol in special training centres where the unemployed would gain experience and vocational education, and financial social assistance would be tied to participation.
The Slovak Rural Party is preparing a proposal that will support the employment of long-term unemployed Roma. The Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic Rudolf Huliak informed about this on social networks. “Let’s give jobs to our Roma rather than foreign migrants,” Huliak declared.
Let’s see the details …
Movement Slovakia criticizes amendment on benefits, calls measure an attack on Roma. According to opposition MP Peter Pollák, the measure deepens poverty, discriminates against Roma and the government uses it to save on the most vulnerable.
The amendment to the Employment Services Act, which includes the Work Instead of Benefits initiative, deprives thousands of the poorest people of material need benefits, according to opposition MP Peter Pollák (Movement Slovakia, For the People, KÚ). “Instead of giving people a ladder, the government is taking away the last thing they have – less than 90 euros per month. That is the last safety net for the poorest. Meanwhile, family expenses are rising due to government consolidation, food and energy are becoming more expensive, and the government is saving on those who have the least,” said Pollák.
Emil Lambov, Safety Inspector at BDZ-Passenger Transport, explained that throwing stones at moving trains is mainly done by minor children of Roma origin. The situation was so serious that they were considering stopping the movement of trains in certain sections of the region that are problematic.
The chairman of the National Roma Council Petko Asenov said that they have been taking measures in connection with the raids on the railway system for several years now. He pointed out as a positive example the qualification programs that enable young people of Roma origin to find work, including in the BDZ system. Such programs allow young people to be included and to be able to realize themselves, and not to be on the streets and show aggression.
The Slovak parliament has passed a law that can take away benefits for refusing a work opportunity. Opposition warns of discrimination against Roma. Their concern is that Roma will be offered menial works (such as in the Hungarian Közmunka), and will be no longer entitled to anything afterwards.
The Minister of Tourism has declared that Roma communities are “a clear cost to society” and therefore wants to employ them in agriculture and support for tourism.
Already his statement is derogatory. But he wants to employ Roma in helping develop tourism in the Slovak countryside. It sounds very much like the mandatory work that was introduced in Hungary, as a way to get cheap labour.
The Slovak ministry of Labour wants to push for so-called “activation work” for long term unemployed. This means doing some menial jobs for municipalities, and, according to statistics, only 1 to 2% of people in this scheme find a job afterwards.
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