By Trend

Azerbaijan's State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population will continue to work on the implementation of new projects in 2023, its Chairman of the Board Mustafa Abbasbeyli told Trend.

According to him, among them are "public portal" and "electronic labor exchange," as well as "Bacar" (virtual platform offering distance training on technical innovations and innovative solutions according to international experience and standards) projects, electronic employment maps (illustrating regions of Azerbaijan with the highest and lowest levels of employment), etc.

Abbasbeyli said that in 2022, the agency held a career development forum, implemented the "Mektebim" project (a women-driven, child-focused, inclusive preschool education model), and launched a program for the development of tourism in rural areas.

"Moreover, in 2022, we initiated several projects, the implementation of which will continue further in 2023. By this, I mean the project aimed at the formation of an institution for experience exchange. I would also like to note that we have projects with international institutions, such as the World Bank, and the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms, and Communication. Jointly with these organizations, we are working on start-up projects," he said.

Abbasbeyli said that a digital subsystem of labor relations was launched in 2022, which will serve to further digitalize the interaction between an employee and an employer.

"Also, as part of this project, we aim at forming electronic labor contracts and creating an advanced bank of vacancies and new approaches to it," he added.

According to him, the state agency is aimed at creating a new digital ecosystem of labor relations, and there's already an action plan.

"Firstly, our main goal is to create a new, innovative approach to make the vacancies more accessible for the unemployed and those who are looking for a job. Secondly, we will also implement this approach for employers. In particular, we are working on creating new methods of searching for specialists," he said.

In addition, according to Abbasbeyli, the agency is working on the creation of a new database.

"This base will allow us to forecast future employment, eliminate gaps in the relationship between the employee and the employer, as well as prepare young professionals for future challenges in the labor market," he added.

Abbasbeyli noted that as a result of the reforms carried out over the past 5 years, the number of employment contracts in Azerbaijan has increased by more than 400,000.

According to him, reforms in the tax sphere, in particular the exemption of individuals, as well as the private sector as a whole from income tax, digitalization of contracts, etc., contributed to achieving these goals.

"Along with this, I would like to note the support of the government, including an increase in the minimum and average wages, pensions, and benefits," he added.

He also noted that the state agency plans to abolish paper employment records.

"The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection is preparing a major legal reform in the labor field. This package is expected to be submitted to the government of Azerbaijan in the near future, and after its adoption, the entire document management will be carried out in a digital way," he said.

According to him, citizens who received their first workbooks after 2014 would no longer need to provide an employer with a hard copy confirming their employment length.

Abbasbeyli explained that citizens whose employment contracts passed before 2014, should keep their paperwork books.

"It can be used in labor relations processes and upon reaching retirement age," he added.

According to Abbasbeyli, the first direction is the role of the agency in providing employment for citizens who return to Karabakh within the framework of the ‘Great Return’ program.

"For the first time started providing employment for our former IDPs in Aghali village of Zangilan district. Before employing citizens, we studied their capabilities and skills and provided relevant jobs. Similar work will be carried out as part of the entire process of return of citizens to the liberated territories," he said.

Speaking about the second direction, the official noted that it has to do with citizens who have already been involved in labor activities in the liberated territories.

"A new approach will also be applied here, which is currently being actively discussed by our agency and the ministry. For all employers who create jobs in Karabakh, the search for employees is expected to be carried out using a single electronic platform. It’s assumed that this will be an existing ‘Bank of vacancies’,” Abbasbeyli explained.

“This will help in the selection of personnel in accordance with the market requirements of a particular region. At the same time, we don’t exclude attracting foreign personnel to work," he added.

He also noted the importance of creation a more competitive labor market.

According to him, through digitalization, the agency significantly reduces the workload on small and medium-sized businesses and simplifies document flow. He noted that digitalization also contributes to the accessibility of the agency's services.

"I would also like to note our means of support for business entities, among which is the joint financing of salaries launched in 2020, attraction to work at the expense of our agency's resources, assistance in finding qualified specialists, etc," he said.

"The other essential means of support for SMEs is the training of specialized personnel. In addition, we are purposefully implementing special programs for the creation of social centers. I believe that our programs contribute to the creation of a more competitive labor market in the field of SMEs," he added.

In conclusion, the head of the agency noted that Azerbaijan’s labor market should be adapted to changes in the global labor market.

"Serious reforms and changes are currently observed in the global labor market. These changes are also taking place in Azerbaijan as a country integrated into the world economy. For example, until recent times, agriculture and processing were considered the sectors with the largest employment in the country,” Abbasbeyli said.

“Now we are witnessing the formation of other areas where employment is rapidly growing, in particular, the hotel business and tourism, catering, innovation, and technology sectors," he added.

He noted that it is important to adapt the local market to the changes in the labor market that are observed globally.