The initiative aims to create and formalise jobs and increase business opportunities at local level, thus contributing to the economic growth and well-being of the population of Hîncești district.

The local employment partnership in Hîncești district was developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the social dialogue partners and the Hîncești District Council, with the support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), within the framework of the project “Inclusive and Productive Employment in Moldova”, funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of Switzerland.

Sergiu Sainciuc, Vice-President of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova, who was present at the launch event, appreciated the initiative to create several LEPs in our country and stressed that LEPs contribute to economic development at territorial level, create new jobs, including for young people, and help identify and solve labour market challenges at territorial level.

It is estimated that the implementation of the LEP in Hîncești district will create and formalise about 226 jobs. The LEP will also contribute to the expansion of 141 small and micro-enterprises, the creation of one cooperative and the launch of about 19 start-ups in sectors with job creation potential, such as beekeeping, processing of agricultural products, etc. Around 1,100 inhabitants of the Hîncești district, including people at risk of social exclusion, will directly benefit from the opportunities offered by the LEP.

“Moldova has been working with the ILO to promote LEPs since 2018. District Hîncești district now joins a group of five other regions that have successfully designed and implemented such partnerships in recent years, contributing to the creation and formalisation of hundreds of jobs. The recognition and support of development partners, such as the Swiss Government, for a comprehensive decent work agenda in Moldova is a key success factor and complements the efforts of the tripartite parties. The Swiss Government has identified the LEPs as a means to promote effective, gender-sensitive and inclusive job creation at the local level, fully integrated into the country’s reform efforts and its ambitious European integration agenda,” said Claire Harasty, Head of the Decent Work Team at the International Labour Organization’s Budapest Country Office.

The Local Employment Partnership in Hîncești District foresees seven intervention actions, including:

– Informing NEET youth and disadvantaged people about education and employment opportunities.

– Another line of intervention aims to improve employability by developing the practical skills of construction workers. These workers will benefit from training programmes tailored to market needs in order to become employable, as well as entrepreneurship advice and assistance in accessing grants and equipment.

  – Formalisation and modernisation of rural beekeeping. Under this line of intervention, beekeepers in the district will benefit from business development services and specialised training to formalise their business, apply for agricultural grants and subsidy programmes and create employment in rural areas.

– Formalise cottage industries and create rural employment. More folk artisans, especially women, will be helped to formalise their activities and set up businesses to create employment opportunities for women, inactive young people and the low-skilled unemployed in rural areas.

– Development and formalisation of small enterprises in rural areas. Small producers, especially women, will be helped to start or expand their businesses, creating jobs by improving the marketing infrastructure, registering and granting the right to use the “Hîncești Product” trademark.

– Developing the processing skills of small agricultural producers in rural areas. Agricultural producers will be helped to form associations, formalise their economic activities and create jobs through the development of infrastructure for the collection, storage and processing of agricultural products in rural areas.

– Supporting the development of youth and women entrepreneurship. More young people and women will benefit from entrepreneurial training and support to develop a business plan and subsequently start a business and create jobs.

The Local Employment Partnership is an innovation based on ‘negotiated planning’ between relevant local partners who take on interlinked roles and responsibilities to develop and implement solutions to labour market challenges that are tailored to local circumstances.

The implementation of the Local Employment Partnership in Hîncești foresees the participation of about 15 public and private partners at national and local level, including educational institutions, the territorial subdivision for employment, non-governmental organisations, producer associations, local enterprises and investors. The LEP is designed and implemented under the aegis of the Territorial Commission for Consultation and Collective Bargaining, a social dialogue platform that brings together representatives of local public authorities and local trade union and employer associations.

Between 2018 and 2023, with the support of the ILO, five LEPs will be implemented in the Republic of Moldova, in the districts of Cahul, Cantemir, Causeni, Soroca and Rezina. On 23 August 2024, the seventh Local Employment Partnership will be launched in Floresti.