Estonia and Moldova to cooperate on labour market reform to increase employment rates

In 2024, only 42% of Moldova’s working-age population was employed, while the corresponding figure in the EU is nearly 76%. Developing up-to-date and effective labour market services is therefore essential to increase participation in the job market and support Moldova's social policy and employment reforms in preparation for EU accession. 

The Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) brought together the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the National Employment Agency of the Republic of Moldova (ANOFM) to share Estonia's experience improving labour market services, strategic management and the efficiency of information systems. The Unemployment Insurance Fund will also support Moldova in developing advisory and support systems for job seekers and employers to help people find and keep jobs. 

“The Unemployment Insurance Fund is honoured to begin cooperation with Moldova’s National Employment Agency and support the development of their public employment services at a time when the country is facing important reforms and preparations for joining the European Union. Our meetings so far in both Moldova and Estonia have created a strong foundation for cooperation, which will certainly support the modernisation of Moldova’s employment service,” said Karolin Kõrreveski, Head of International Relations at the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. 

Estonian experts will lead seminars and mentoring sessions to develop proposals for the labour market in line with Moldova's needs. The project also addresses EU integration issues. It introduces Estonia's experience in implementing labour market reforms and legislation, taking into account the national development strategy "Europe Moldova 2030", the main goal of which is to increase employment rates. 

"We want to be able to offer Moldovans more jobs and better-quality services for finding a job. Digitalisation is also a priority for us, and Estonia has developed a very good system for itself, which we want to learn more about and implement ourselves in the future," said Lilia Plugaru, the deputy director of Moldova’s National Employment Agency. 

Eva-Maria Liimets, ESTDEV's programme manager for Democracy and Rule of Law, said that through this project, ESTDEV is bringing together Estonia's practical experience with Moldova's development needs. 

"Estonia has made many changes to its labour market services in recent years and can share experience that will help Moldova adapt them to its own circumstances and provide better support to both job seekers and employers, and move closer to European Union standards," Liimets said. 

The project also supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal of promoting decent work and economic growth. 

In 2024, ESTDEV and the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund carried out a similar project in Ukraine, which contributed to harmonising the Ukrainian labour market with EU requirements. As a result of the project, Ukraine will undergo assessment with the European Network of Public Employment Services this year, which is a quality marker for employment policy development.