Core area “Sustainable economic development, training and employment” Creating jobs and training skilled workers

    In the Republic of Moldova, people do not have sufficient opportunities to earn an adequate and steady income. And a large proportion of people's incomes is generated in the informal sector. Business and employment promotion is therefore a focus of German-Moldovan development cooperation.

    Winery in Moldova

    In Moldova, almost one in four young people aged 15 to 34 is not in paid employment nor in any training or upskilling programme. Women and people in rural areas are especially affected. Ethnic minorities and people with disabilities are also finding it particularly difficult to access the labour market, which puts them at high risk of poverty.

    At the same time, many companies are having difficulty filling vacant posts because of a lack of skilled workers. Staff needs are especially huge in the business areas of information technology, construction and energy and in manufacturing, retail and public administration.

    That is why the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is providing support to Moldova’s employment agency and its regional offices for gathering information on the labour market and on regional employment needs. This data serves as a basis for developing advisory services and training programmes in cooperation with the private sector that are tailored to the needs of the target groups. This work includes the creation of local networks and the involvement of civil society organisations such as youth centres.

    In addition, the BMZ supports efforts to establish a dual vocational training system that enables trainees to acquire vocational skills at vocational schools and at training enterprises in parallel and facilitates their swift transition into the labour market once they have completed the training. In 2022, a new law was adopted to this effect. Support is being provided to government entities, enterprises, the social partners and education facilities as they broaden their vocational training capacities and expand their cooperation.


    Promoting businesses

    The country had a weak economic base and was hit hard by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression, especially the energy crisis. The Moldovan government wants to restart economic growth primarily by providing financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), ensuring that training programmes are better aligned with companies’ needs, modernising infrastructure and setting a climate-friendly path for the economy.

    The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is supporting these efforts, setting up and capitalising a Moldovan support fund, for instance, for small and medium-sized companies, strengthening Moldova as an investment location and promoting business start-ups.

    Impacts of Germany's activities

    • More than 1,100 people have found new jobs since 2022 thanks to employment programmes. This includes approximately 700 women and 500 young people, and nearly 150 people from disadvantaged groups such as persons with disabilities and Roma.
    • More than 1,300 people have successfully completed long-term dual vocational training programmes since 2023, with almost 70 per cent of them finding jobs immediately after graduation.
    • More than 60 laws and regulations for sustainable economic development and better policy coordination and coherence with the 2030 Agenda and strategic policy documents aligned with the EU association agreement have been developed or amended and adopted with German development cooperation support since 2022.

    As at: 26/07/2024