The purpose of this chapter is to provide recommendations on ways to enhance the Bulgarian National Employment Agency’s (NEA) engagement with employers. Leveraging on existing trusted relationships, the NEA can become a leading player in the field of employer engagement evolving into a more strategic, data-driven partner – capable of anticipating needs, tailoring services, and driving more effective job matching at scale.
Optimising Processes and Services at Bulgaria’s National Employment Agency
Abstract
Engaging with employers is a core function of all PES and the NEA has demonstrated strength in this area by cultivating strong and trust-based relationships with employers. By building on this foundation and adopting a more systematic, strategic approach – drawing on successful EU and OECD PES models – the NEA can further strengthen its ability to support labour market needs effectively. This would enable the NEA to deliver more targeted services, strengthen labour market partnerships, and play a more proactive role in aligning workforce supply with employer demand.
This chapter is organised into two sections. The first section provides an overview of the NEA’s current engagement with employers, outlining its strengths and challenges with respect to engaging with this core client group (Table 4.1). The second section provides recommendations to enhance the overall engagement and services for employers provided by the NEA. These recommendations are structured around six main areas:
i. the development of a dedicated employer engagement strategy,
ii. analysis and segmentation of employers,
iii. internal organisation to better support work with employers,
iv. expansion of service provision to employers,
v. outreach and communication efforts and
vi. monitoring and evaluation of the employer strategy and related activities.
While this chapter focuses mostly on operational processes, a thorough discussion about digital and AI‑based tools and platforms that can support the NEA’s work and engagement with employers is included later under Chapter 5 of this report.
The NEA works closely with employers, primarily on two key aspects: matching jobseekers with vacancies; and promoting the participation of employers in subsidised employment programmes. To facilitate the matching between jobseekers and employers, the NEA visits businesses and organises job fairs at regular intervals where employers can connect with jobseekers, receive candidate recommendations for open positions, and meet newly registered jobseekers. Beyond this, the NEA staff play a key role in informing employers about available ALMPs, most commonly wage subsidy and training programmes. They assist employers by explaining eligibility criteria, candidate profiles and compliance requirements. Employers who participate in one programme are often more likely to engage in subsequent ones, building a continued partnership with the NEA.
In recent years, the NEA has made notable progress in engaging with employers, particularly in the area of outreach and communication. Initiatives such as targeted events, school visits, and the dissemination of information through multiple channels – including social media platforms and messaging apps like Viber – have increased the NEA’s visibility and interaction with employers.
However, despite these advances, employer engagement remains largely ad hoc and lacks a clear strategic framework. Specific objectives are not always well-defined, making it difficult to measure impact or track progress.
One of the primary challenges facing the NEA is the lack of comprehensive employer mapping. Without detailed and up-to-date data on companies’ profiles, workforce needs, and sector-specific characteristics, it becomes difficult to tailor services effectively. This limits the NEA’s ability to proactively anticipate demand and offer solutions that meet the requirements of different employers.
In addition to data gaps, the level of support provided to employers is not well customised. Companies vary greatly in size, sector, and hiring practices, yet the current approach often applies a one‑size‑fits-all model. Tailoring services based on the specific needs and capacities of different types of businesses – such as SMEs versus large enterprises – would enhance the relevance and effectiveness of employer engagement efforts.
Another issue lies in the ambiguity surrounding the roles and responsibilities of NEA staff who interact with employers. In the absence of clearly defined functions, overlaps or inconsistencies in service delivery can arise, leading to potential inefficiencies and negatively impacting on employer experience. Clarifying internal structures and workflows would help standardise practices and improve accountability.
There is also significant potential to expand and systematise the NEA’s outreach activities. While many promising initiatives are already underway, they are often implemented on a case‑by-case basis. Institutionalising outreach – through planned, regular, and targeted engagement strategies – would allow the NEA to reach a wider and more consistent range of employers, particularly those in underserved or emerging sectors.
Employers have also expressed the need for more comprehensive and relevant information about jobseekers. Current candidate profiles often focus heavily on formal qualifications, but employers are increasingly interested in informal skills, prior work experience, and broader personal attributes that influence job readiness. Enhancing the depth and quality of jobseeker data would allow for better matches and increased employer satisfaction.
Finally, concerns have been raised regarding the motivation and attitude of some jobseekers during the recruitment process. Employers note that candidates often appear disengaged or overly selective, at times behaving as though they are assessing the employer rather than expressing genuine interest in the opportunity. This highlights the importance of preparing jobseekers more effectively – through coaching, realistic expectation setting, and job-readiness support – to foster a more balanced and professional engagement during interviews.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the reliability of certain employers, particularly in smaller communities. Addressing these concerns requires a well-defined, transparent, and consistent approach that maintains trust on both sides of the labour market.
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Furthermore, the absence of a systematic approach to monitoring and evaluation means that potential opportunities for improvement may be disregarded or missed. While the NEA has introduced some key performance indicators, such as the number of vacancies, outreach activities, and new employers engaged, these metrics could be enhanced to also assess vacancy quality and post-placement retention.
Finally, some challenges lie beyond the NEA’s direct control. Legislative constraints, such as rigid qualification requirements or short re‑registration periods for jobseekers, may limit hiring flexibility and affect employer satisfaction. These issues call for dialogue and policy co‑ordination at a broader institutional level to support more responsive employment services.
Capitalising on its established employer connections, the NEA can further strengthen its efforts with good practices from the PES of EU and OECD countries and take a leading role in this field. Figure 4.1 provides an overview of the key steps and measures to optimise employer engagement. Despite their potential, digital solutions remain an underutilised area within employer engagement and therefore most of these key steps and actions would greatly benefit from the introduction of digital and AI-based tools. There is a strong need for user-friendly digital platforms and a revamped website to streamline interactions, improve the effectiveness of job matching, and present information in a more appealing and engaging way. A more detailed discussion on such tools is included in Chapter 5.
Source: Authors’ compilation.
4.3.1. A practical and results-oriented strategy to optimise employer engagement is needed
To strengthen employer engagement, enhance the quality of services provided to employers, and improve overall co‑operation with them, a comprehensive and practical strategy is needed. This is especially important given the continuous evolution of labour markets and the economy and society at large. Such a strategy should be in a written form and disseminated across all local labour offices in Bulgaria, starting with the main goals and actions along with a realistic and attainable timeline. The strategy should also define and describe key elements such as registration of employers with the NEA, outreach and communication initiatives as well as the provision of customised solutions and services to employers based on their unique characteristics and needs. PES in other EU countries such as the ones in Luxembourg, Ireland, Greece (Box 4.1) and Slovenia, have developed dedicated employer engagement strategies to enhance co‑operation with employers and better align services with labour market needs.
The Greek PES has a specific employer strategy, which centres on ongoing, structured collaboration with businesses to effectively address their recruitment needs. A key element of this strategy is the Service Unit for Medium and Large Enterprises (SUMLE), based at the headquarters, which offers targeted support and counselling to larger companies. Complementing this, employer counsellors play a specialised role within PES, with responsibilities that include identifying employers at the local level based on size, sector, and market trends; conducting business visits; assisting companies in drafting ESCO-based job descriptions; providing information on employment programmes – especially wage subsidies; and co‑ordinating closely with jobseeker counsellors. The strategy also foresees the organisation of both in-person and online Career Days within Greece and abroad.
The support to employers is complemented by a number of digital tools, including the digital platform “Hot Jobs” for posting vacancies and receiving CVs, the myDYPAlive platform for virtual meetings with employers, and the JOBmatch app launched in 2024, which facilitates easy searching and enables direct communication and connection with jobseekers. Employers can provide feedback on matching outcomes through the PES e‑services system.
In addition to improving the matching process, the Greek PES employer strategy places strong emphasis on enhancing ALMPs. This includes promoting evidence‑based design, ensuring effective implementation, and conducting rigorous monitoring and evaluation. By involving employers more closely in the development and feedback processes, the PES ensures that ALMPs are better aligned with real labour market needs, making interventions more targeted, relevant, and impactful.
The strategy also extends to reinforcing partnerships with educational institutions to support upskilling and reskilling initiatives that align with evolving labour market needs. In addition, it promotes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, such as the “Independent–Strong–Free” initiative, which aims to create employment opportunities for women who have experienced abuse.
Source: Presentation by the Greek PES during the international workshop on PES operating models organised on 7 February 2025 as part of this project.
An employer engagement strategy should follow a bottom-up approach, led and co‑ordinated by the NEA’s central administration and actively involving NEA staff from various offices and departments – especially those working with employers –, harnessing their practical insights and frontline experience to inform design and implementation. Engaging the different stakeholders in this domain – that is, along with the five representative employer organisations currently operating in Bulgaria, chambers of commerce and industry, labour unions, and other relevant partners including the regional and local authorities – from the outset would help align the strategy with real labour market needs and employer expectations. This collaborative approach also fosters a sense of ownership among stakeholders, increases the likelihood of successful implementation, and ensures that the strategy remains practical, relevant, and responsive to evolving economic conditions. Additionally, inputs from all these stakeholders can provide different perspectives and valuable insights into sector-specific challenges, helping the NEA tailor solutions that address both short-term hiring needs and long-term workforce development goals.
4.3.2. Existing and prospective employers need to be analysed and segmented efficiently
To develop a comprehensive employer strategy, it is essential for the NEA to first understand the characteristics and needs among both the employers with whom it already engages and those with whom this is not yet the case. One important step is to first conduct an analysis of the employers that already exist in the NEA’s database as well as a local labour market analysis in order to be able to map employers in each region and their characteristics. Such an analysis will be useful not only for segmentation but also for refining and better targeting services provided to employers as well as enhancing outreach and communication efforts.
Once the analysis is completed, the next step is to segment employers based on specific characteristics and needs. Initially, this segmentation should focus on employers who are already in contact with the NEA and exist in its database. However, segmentation should be expanded to cover all employers identified in the previous analysis step so that the NEA can proactively reach out. This broader segmentation approach ensures that the NEA can extend its support to all employers, not just those currently in its network, and helps identifying opportunities for new partnerships. As resources are limited, segmentation can be particularly helpful for prioritisation.
Most PES (e.g. the PES in Denmark, Slovenia, Greece and in the Flemish region of Belgium) categorise employers according to their size (e.g. small, medium and large) and provide differentiated support depending on their needs. For instance, smaller companies that lack dedicated human resources and experience may need more support with recruitment, while larger companies might be more interested on bulk hiring services or skills development for their staff. In many PES, large companies with a significant market share are typically approached and served by a special unit at the Headquarters, whereas smaller and medium enterprises are usually under the responsibility of the local offices that have a better understanding of the local context (see also further below on roles and responsibilities).
An alternative or complementary segmentation approach is based on the type of sector/industry and the level of dynamism. In this case, the NEA would identify sector-specific needs and target industries with high demand for labour or growth potential. For example, the Flemish PES categorises employers into six sector groups and follows a specific strategy (business plan) for each sector with dedicated PES counsellors assigned to each (European Commission, 2018[1]). Categorisation can also be based on the type of ownership (e.g. multinational or national), the life cycle stage of the company (e.g. start-up, growing, advanced) or the volume and frequency of hiring (e.g. regular, occasional, seasonal). For example, in Norway, employers who co‑operate with the Norwegian Directorate of Labour and Welfare receive different intensity of support, depending on the partnership agreement they have established (self-service partners, extended partners or strategic partners).
4.3.3. Employer services should be expanded and tailored to meet employer needs
The NEA has significant potential to expand its offering to employers, given the broad range of services they require (Table 4.2). The core services that the NEA already offers, such as supporting employers in recruitment and facilitating their participation in subsidised employment programmes, remain essential and should continue to be offered. Beyond this, segmentation implies that for example employers with large or regular hiring needs obtain more strategic support with the help of dedicated account managers, while employers with occasional or seasonal hiring needs might get a more hands-on approach. The NEA’s services should be also used to encourage employers to hire vulnerable jobseekers. For instance, the PES in Sweden provides incentives employers to hire more jobseekers with disabilities and other hiring obstacles (e.g. lack of Swedish language skills) through a range of measures, including wage subsidies that intend to offset jobseekers’ reduced productivity.1 Other initiatives include financial incentives for hiring individuals who have been out of the labour market for an extended period as well as initiatives to support the hiring of migrants. Employers may sometimes hold biases against hiring individuals with low skill levels or those from disadvantaged groups. While enhancing the skills of these individuals is essential, it is equally important to address employer perceptions by clearly communicating the benefits – both for them and the society as a whole – of inclusive hiring practices. This can be achieved through targeted awareness initiatives such as in-person and online seminars, as well as concise, well-designed briefing materials that highlight success stories, productivity gains, and the broader societal value of inclusive employment. Equipping counsellors who engage directly with employers with practical prompts and talking points can help them effectively communicate the advantages of hiring individuals from disadvantaged groups, dispel misconceptions, and foster more open and informed employer attitude.
The efficiency and reach of relevant programmes – such as wage subsidies and training – is enhanced if employers are actively involved in their design and implementation. This is particularly relevant in the context of Bulgaria’s ageing workforce. Employer participation in shaping training content and providing work-based learning opportunities can better align skill development initiatives with labour market needs. Less than 10% of Bulgarian enterprises are currently engaged in offering work-based learning, and participation is even more limited in smaller towns (OECD, 2025[2]). Especially for training programmes, the NEA could collaborate with large employers or a group of employers – e.g. of the same industry, sector or region – to create tailored programmes specifically targeted to their needs. The NEA may also consider making agreements with these companies, so they hire a share of the previously unemployed trainees following completion. In addition, the NEA could consider awarding employers who hire frequently making use of the NEA’s services or participate regularly in wage subsidy programmes a “partner” or “ally” badge or label, as done, for example, by the PES in Luxembourg. This could serve as both a recognition and an incentive, motivating other companies to engage with the NEA’s as well.
Source: Authors’ compilation.
A further avenue to consider is the expansion of support to employers by providing more intensive human resource services, including new counselling services (e.g. like tailored support for personnel management), intensive employer counselling, assistance with drafting job vacancies, as well as pre‑screening and shortlisting candidates. Such services would be particularly valuable in the Bulgarian context, where difficulties in hiring skilled staff represent the top long-term obstacle to investment, affecting 88% of employers (OECD, 2025[2]). Upon request from a specific sector or company, the PES in Luxembourg arranges customised training courses to prepare pre‑selected jobseekers for their new roles (ADEM, 2024[3]). By strengthening its role as a strategic partner in workforce planning and recruitment, the NEA can help employers overcome persistent skill shortages and improve overall labour market functioning. Depending on the scale and scope, employers could also be asked to participate in the financing of such services.
The provision of post-hiring support is also essential, especially for jobseekers who were previously far from the labour market. This support can include follow-up check-ins, assistance with employee integration, guidance on addressing any challenges that arise in the workplace and offering training or development opportunities to help the new staff grow within the company or upskill or reskill the existing employees especially in the context of evolving labour markets. The NEA could also assist employers in enhancing their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This approach would further enhance employers’ involvement, including in tackling the specific needs of vulnerable groups, such as people with low education, language difficulties, or people with disabilities, e.g. by adapting roles to fit their capabilities (“job carving”) (OECD, 2020[4]). Another approach could be to replicate the “Duo-Days” model introduced by the PES in Slovenia. This initiative allows jobseekers to spend a day (or few days) shadowing an employee in a role or company they are interested in, gaining firsthand insights into the job’s responsibilities and duties. This experience helps jobseekers assess whether the role aligns with their skills and expectations while also enabling employers to evaluate potential candidates in a real work environment.
Some of the services to employers could have a proactive character. For example, the NEA could take the initiative to offer support to employers in sectors experiencing labour shortages, assist in developing retention strategies for companies with high turnover rates and assess employers’ training needs. As in the previous case, depending on the scale and scope, employers could also be asked to participate in the financing of such services. For example, in an effort to proactively support employers in addressing and mitigating staff shortages, the Dutch PES published a report outlining 34 practical solutions, developed based on internal expertise, insights from various industries, relevant studies, and the practical experience of frontline staff (UWV Labour Market Information and Advice Department, 2023[5]) Assisting employers in dealing with labour market crises, supporting them to adapt to their changing role in an evolving labour market or providing special support services in case of restructures or closures may not be traditional ways of engagement. However, as the example of the Swedish PES shows, they are highly relevant in times of structure change. In this regard, segmentation plays a key role. For instance, high-growth businesses may require assistance with scaling up, while those in decline might need restructuring support.
In addition to more relevant and effective services provided to employers, employers need more comprehensive and meaningful information about jobseekers. The candidate profiles which the NEA shares with employers tend to emphasise formal qualifications. Nevertheless, employers are increasingly interested in informal skills, prior work experience, and broader employability attributes such as attitude, adaptability, and communication skills. Enhancing the depth and quality of jobseeker profiles – through structured self-assessments, validated soft skills inventories, and better documentation of work history – would support more accurate matching and increased employer satisfaction. Additionally, some employers express some scepticism about jobseekers approaching interviews with unrealistic expectations or limited motivation, in some cases appearing to “interview the employer” rather than showing genuine interest in the role. Addressing this imbalance requires strengthening job-readiness support, including pre‑placement coaching, realistic expectation setting, and clearer communication of the mutual responsibilities involved in the employment process. It may also be necessary to review the alignment of incentives within the benefits system to promote active job search and employment take‑up over passive reliance on social assistance.
It will be important for the NEA not only to respond to employers’ needs and expectations, but also to ensure that employers are meeting their obligations. This is particularly relevant in light of concerns about the reliability of certain employers – especially in smaller communities – where instances of non-compliance or poor employment practices have been reported. To protect jobseekers and uphold fair labour market standards, the NEA could consider implementing a more structured approach to employer vetting. For example, employer eligibility for public employment services in the Slovenian PES is partly determined by their status in a dedicated registry of employers with negative references. This registry lists employers who have committed labour law violations – such as illegal hiring, failure to pay social security contributions, or operating with undeclared workers. Inclusion in the database results in temporary ineligibility for job referrals or financial support. Adopting a similar mechanism would enhance transparency, foster accountability, and help build trust on both sides of the labour market (OECD/European Commission, 2025[6]).
4.3.4. Internal roles and responsibilities at the NEA should be clearly defined to serve employers more effectively and consistently
A further key question to address is assigning clear accountability for implementing the employer engagement strategy. Drawing on other PES practices, it would be advisable to establish a dedicated unit or team within the NEA’s headquarters to work exclusively with large companies and co‑ordinate relevant work at the local level. In March 2021, the Greek PES established a dedicated Unit to deal with employers. The Unit for Medium and Large Enterprises, as it is called, offers personalised services, tailored specifically to the needs of medium and large companies, aimed at enhancing and streamlining the job matching processes. Additionally, an employer toolkit has been developed to further support these initiatives. Similarly, the Danish PES established a dedicated unit with the main aim to co‑ordinate service provision for large enterprises across local job centres while the Irish Department of Social Protection established a national Employer Relations Division and a centralised Key Account Managers team to serve as a single contact point for large employers, alongside appointing 11 Employer Relations Managers across its divisional areas.
At the local level, where feasible and appropriate, it is equally important to designate employer counsellors as a standalone role within local labour offices, including the mobile ones. These counsellors will have a clear mandate to ensure continuous and effective engagement with employers in their respective areas and will be designated specific relevant tasks. A dedicated space within the intranet environment where employer counsellors can exchange ideas, share good practices, and learn from one another, would promote a collaborative and growth-oriented culture within the NEA. Employer counsellors should maintain regular and close collaboration and structured exchanges with the NEA staff who support jobseekers. For offices where designating employer counsellors is not possible, alternative solutions could be creating part-time roles by allocating specific time in their day for these duties, or having employers served by counsellors from larger local offices nearby.
To ensure co‑ordination and alignment with the central offices, the heads of the local labour offices should contribute to employer engagement efforts on an as needed basis, with a focus on activities that can have a large impact. Such activities may include promoting the NEA to new branches within the area of their accountability, facilitating large‑scale recruitment efforts, or addressing complex challenges faced by employers.
The NEA should equip employer-facing staff with tailored and specialised training on areas such as employer relationship management, understanding labour market dynamics, recruitment support strategies and effective collaboration with other NEA staff. To ensure that the training is of high quality but also includes practical applications, it could be developed and provided in partnership with a business school or university with proven expertise.
Finally, a good practices handbook could be developed, compiling effective employer service and engagement strategies drawn from the experiences of local labour offices and international good local practice. This handbook could serve as a valuable resource, allowing local offices to enhance their employer relations while maintaining some level of autonomy and flexibility to adopt practices best suited to their specific local needs. A good practices example is the one developed by the Danish PES. To maximise engagement and ensure that such a handbook is comprehensive, practical, and aligned with the needs of both employers and local labour offices, the NEA could actively involve a diverse range of stakeholders in both its development and dissemination. These stakeholders may include – in addition to local NEA staff – employers and employer associations representatives, local authorities and other key labour market partners. In Denmark, the PES actively tracks the use of its employer engagement handbook by monitoring download statistics. Additionally, a survey conducted among all job centres indicated positive feedback, highlighting the handbook’s value in strengthening the PES employer engagement efforts (European Commission, 2018[7]).
4.3.5. Outreach and communication should be strengthened to engage employers more effectively
As soon as the segmentation process is complete and a plan for engaging with different employer groups is decided, the NEA should reach out to them. Proactivity plays an important role in outreach efforts, demonstrating the NEA’s commitment to building partnerships of trust and mutual understanding. Effective outreach involves highlighting the benefits of collaboration, explaining the services they offer and their value‑added, and showcasing their ability to provide tailored support. The NEA already has a strong foundation which can leverage since all these years has managed to establish good working relationships with employers. For instance, the Austrian PES offers a compelling example of proactive employer outreach combining direct business engagement along with targeted consulting to support company recruitment and workforce strategies, serving as an effective model for other PES seeking to enhance their employer services (Box 4.2).
Outreach activities should occur through multiple channels, to ensure information reaches all relevant employers effectively. Mass communication methods like emails, text messages, online notifications, and content on both NEA’s website and social media platforms can disseminate information widely. Printed materials such as brochures and posters distributed at NEA offices or in accessible public locations can further raise awareness. Intermediaries such as employer associations, chambers of commerce, and other professional networks tend to be particularly effective outreach channels, as they can transmit information to their members. Outreach can also take place via personalised approaches, such as company visits, phone calls, and individual meetings, and can enable the NEA to establish deeper connections with employers. Finally, information can be disseminated through events. These can include events organised directly by the NEA such as job fairs and informational sessions or events scheduled by other stakeholders, where the NEA can be invited to present its services and build visibility). The NEA could also host an employer information day, open to all or targeted to select participants, to communicate information on ongoing and new initiatives and raise awareness. To enhance convenience and boost participation, this event can be done hybrid or complemented by a virtual format, allowing employers to join easily from any location.
The NEA could experiment with different messaging strategies tailored to employers. This approach involves crafting and sending distinct messages, each emphasising various aspects such as benefits, success stories, or key statistics, and then measuring their impact. For instance, the NEA can track metrics like the number of email responses or engagement rates to determine which message is more appealing to certain employers. Such data-driven experimentation would enable the NEA to refine its outreach and communication efforts, ensuring they capture employers’ attention.
Once contact is established, maintaining regular communication with employers is key. Similarly to outreach, communication should not only happen on the employers’ initiative; rather the NEA should act proactively and maintain regular interaction through all possible channels. Communication must be clear, consistent and straightforward in order to foster trust and ensure that employers remain informed about the NEA’s initiatives, programmes, and services. It should also be mutually beneficial; beyond disseminating information, the NEA should use these interactions to also hear from employers. This involves understanding their needs and challenges as well as receiving their feedback on services provided thus far. Surveys and questionnaires can complement other communication methods. Eventually, this continuous feedback loop will help the NEA not only to refine its services, but also strengthen their relationship with employers altogether, ensuring they feel both supported and valued.
The “AMS Business Tour” is a standout initiative by the Austrian PES, designed to strengthen employer engagement and address pressing workforce challenges. Held annually, the tour mobilises PES staff across Austria to visit companies in various regions, offering direct communication about services, programmes, and collaborative opportunities. Through this hands-on approach, the PES positions itself as a proactive partner in navigating evolving labour market dynamics.
A key feature of the tour is its personalised consulting for businesses, covering topics such as competency-based matching, inclusive recruitment strategies, employee retention, and upskilling. The service emphasises helping employers tap into the full potential of the labour market, including supporting the integration and long-term retention of future staff. The initiative is supported by a comprehensive media and advertising campaign across newspapers, radio, online platforms, and social media. The tour also seeks to facilitate unexpected yet promising job matches – connecting employers and candidates who may not align by job title alone but fit in skills and potential.
The initiative obtained in positive feedback from participating companies. In 2024, the focus was on sustainable human resource management. For example, in the region of Steiermark, more than 2 100 businesses were visited to discuss sustainable HR practices and available PES support services.
Source: Presentation by the Austrian PES during a capacity building seminar organised on 28 May 2025 as part of this project.
4.3.6. Regularly monitor and assess the employer engagement strategy and refine it as needed
Once the employer engagement strategy is implemented, it will be important to establish a systematic process for its monitoring and assessment. This involves setting realistic and attainable targets, defining clear and measurable indicators to evaluate progress and effectiveness, meticulously tracking relevant activities, processes, and outcomes, and analysing the collected data on a regular basis to refine and update the strategy as needed. A more elaborated monitoring and assessment can occur through a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system,2 a dedicated platform, or simply through questionnaire‑based employer surveys. Under the Slovenian PES Employers’ Strategy, the CRM has been upgraded to enhance interactions with employers, recording all contacts (e.g. visits, meetings, calls) and relevant media information. Integrated with other PES databases, it enables staff to track and plan activities by employer size, location, and industry, serving as the main tool for managing employer relationships and monitoring all relevant operations (European Commission, 2018[1]).
Table 4.3 outlines a set of indicators and information that the NEA could systematically collect to monitor and assess progress. Indicators can be broken down across different organisational levels and disaggregated by type of employer (e.g. size, industry/sector, ownership, etc.). Continuous monitoring and assessment will not only allow the NEA to identify areas for improvement, but also strengthen the ability of the agency to proactively adapt to changes in employer needs and ensuring that the services provided to them remain relevant, efficient and impactful.
References
[3] ADEM (2024), Benefit from ADEM’s services, https://adem.public.lu/en/employeurs/beneficier-services-adem.html (accessed on 8 November 2024).
[1] European Commission (2018), Employers’ toolkit: Engaging with and improving services to employers.
[7] European Commission (2018), PES Practices Database, Denmark: Handbook on employer relations and services, https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1206&langId=en (accessed on `8 November 2024).
[2] OECD (2025), OECD Reviews of Labour Market and Social Policies: Bulgaria 2025, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/81e7cac7-en.
[4] OECD (2020), New ways to reach out to employers, https://web-archive.oecd.org/2022-11-07/642598-Employers.pdf.
[6] OECD/European Commission (2025), Impact Evaluation of Wage Subsidies and Training for the Unemployed in Slovenia, Connecting People with Jobs, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/47098a5e-en.
[5] UWV Labour Market Information and Advice Department (2023), Tackling staff shortages: 34 solutions for employers, https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/circabc-ewpp/ui/group/bab664d7-1188-47b2-9fa6-869902320ba2/library/4c2138a7-9aa4-43ff-86f4-5338cfd2cce3/details.
← 1. The subsidy level may decrease over time if the jobseeker’s productivity improves; however, in some cases, the subsidy can remain unchanged or even continue indefinitely.
← 2. A CRM system is a software/tool used by organisations to manage and analyse interactions with customers – both current and potential -, streamline processes, and improve customer satisfaction and retention through better data tracking and communication.