FfW Bulgarian report (English language) - Fit for Work Europe

Further indirect costs of disability result from the impact of long-term health conditions on
an individual’s ability to participate in the labour market. Only 13 per cent of disabled people
are employed in paid jobs. An additional 8 per cent are in subsidised jobs (ANED, 2007). At
the same time, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP) reports cases of people illegally
obtaining disability status in order to retire early, as they feared not being able to find a job
due to old age or illness (NSSI, 2011a). Artificially inflated numbers of people with partial or full
incapacity adds to the burden of disability on the Bulgarian welfare system and the economy
Financial support is available to people with disabilities, however the size of allowance is not
always sufficient to support individual needs. 32 NSI surveyed 3,000 people of working age, who
reported having a disability. Disability pensions are the main source of income for 72 per cent
of the respondents, 8 per cent rely on support from another person, and only 8 per cent receive
salary for work or pension from work (ANED, 2007). These figures indicate that incapacitated
people are under a high risk of poverty.
At the same time, some people with disabilities are eager to return to the labour market in the
context of financial hardship. Almost a third of the respondents in the NSI (2005) survey thought
that they could do certain types of work. However, disability assessments that do not take into
consideration preserved abilities of people may compromise their chances of finding work. 33
In addition, some people with disabilities are either unaware of or discouraged from accessing
assistance with return to work.
Rehabilitation services are in place in Bulgaria to support disabled people to return to work.
However, a 2005 study of disability in Bulgaria has found that only 6 per cent of employed
people with disabilities receive on-the-job support, while 16 per cent admitted having such
a need (NSI, 2005). Of all people requiring support, only 5 per cent found their workplace
accessible.
The Bulgarian Agency for Disabled People 34 receives an annual budget to finance workplace
adaptations for disabled people on the job at the maximum level of 7500 BGN for physical
access to the workplace; 2,500 BGN for adjustments on the workplace and 6,000 BGN for
equipment at the workplace, regardless of the individual needs of the disabled people. There
was no personal assistance or transportation allowances for disabled employees (Bulgarian
Agency for Disabled People, 2011).
32 Expert interview
33 Expert interview
34 See http://ahu.mlsp.government.bg/
Interventions
Fit For Work? 47