This report was prepared by Ioanna Pantelaiou and Thomas Liebig with inputs from Marius Lüske and Ailbhe Brioscú in the OECD’s Directorate for Employment Labour and Social Affairs (ELS) under the guidance and supervision of Theodora Xenogiani (Head of Employability Division). The report also benefitted from contributions by Cyprien Batut, Quentin Daviot and Ella Westlake (Consultants to the OECD). Statistical assistance was provided by Dana Blumin and editorial assistance by Assa Fofana and Natalie Corry.
This report is produced in the framework of the project “Optimising processes and services at Bulgaria’s National Employment Agency” (September 2023‑October 2025). The project was funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the OECD, in co‑operation with the European Commission. The project aims to support Bulgaria’s National Employment Agency (NEA) in enhancing its technological and administrative capabilities across a wide range of areas with a view of optimising its processes and improving service delivery.
The report has profited from excellent collaboration with NEA colleagues, notably Anna Delibasheva, Kristiyan Panov, Tonka Karaivanova, Gabriela Goranova-Dimcheva, Zornitsa Oykova, Boris Filipov, Maria Petrova, Ivo Ivanov, Milena Georgieva and Vanya Ivanova. Special thanks are extended to Georgi Gyokov, Svetla Uzunova and all NEA colleagues from local labour offices across Bulgaria whose valuable contributions through active participation in missions, surveys and capacity-building events greatly enriched the project. The report and the project implementation would not have been possible without the continuous support, collaboration and constructive comments of Oana Dumitrescu from EC/SG REFORM, as well as Ana Reis Ferreira, former employee of EC/SG REFORM who supported the project during the first year of implementation.
This report has greatly benefitted from exchanges with stakeholders in Bulgaria throughout the project implementation and, in particular, the exchanges held during the missions in November 2023 and September 2024. Additional input came from two surveys conducted among NEA staff, which provided a deeper understanding of the NEA’s operational processes. The report also profited greatly from discussions during three international workshops: in June 2024 on the use of Artificial Intelligence by Public Employment Services (PES); in September 2024 on the role of PES in supporting the green transition; and in February 2025 on operating models of PES. Further contributions came from two capacity-building seminars held in November 2024 and May 2025, as well as a study visit to the Swedish PES in March 2025, which focused on the green transition and the design and implementation of operational processes and services.
Valuable comments and feedback were provided by the delegates to the OECD Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee as well as by Stefano Scarpetta and Mark Pearson.