The biggest office of the National Employment Agency becomes accessible and adapted to beneficiaries’ needs

“Employment services are of utmost importance in a society marked by strong migration trends. We are glad to help improve these services by enhancing the qualification of NEA staff and adapting the working premises to the needs of all categories of beneficiaries. We hope all these efforts will translate in higher satisfaction among the population of Chisinau municipality and a higher employment rate of those who want to work in their home country,” said Radu Danii, Program Coordinator of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

The new office will allow serving more beneficiaries, with the Chisinau General Employment Department covering over 572,000 citizens of the capital. About 6,000 people and over 3,000 employers reach out every year to Chisinau DGE to benefit from the 13 services provided.

The office design considers the principles of front and back office. Thus, employees have an open space to interact with beneficiaries, following the principles of transparency and safety at the workplace, as well as separate areas for group activities and offices. The area can be accommodated for the whole range of services provided by the 30 employees of the institution.

“Walking to this conference room, we had the opportunity to visit the premises of this office. I am sure all of us can appreciate that it offers safe and secure conditions for the staff working here, as well as welcoming and adapted conditions for all categories of people who are in desperate need of a job – unemployed, people with disabilities, parents, the elderly, youth, etc., making sure that no one is left behind in the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic”, said Dima Al-Khatib, UNDP Resident Representative for the Republic of Moldova.

A playground was set up at the Chisinau DGE, making it a friendly environment for parents with children. Parents with strollers, older people, as well as persons with disabilities can use the external access ramp. Braille and colour-contrasting signs were installed. A mobile lift for persons with impaired mobility was also installed.

“The renovation of the biggest office out of the 32 offices of the National Employment Agency is one of the greatest achievements of the institution in the past 30 years. In addition, UNDP and Switzerland provided all the necessary support for the preparation of amendments to the law on labour force migration, and for the training of NEA staff at the national level. The comprehensive and integrated approach will certainly enhance the impact for citizens. People and their wellbeing are a priority for us,” stated Nelea Rusu, State Secretary, Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection.

The design of the office was based on the outcomes of a location testing exercise called ‘user safari’, which was conducted both at the former office and the new one before renovation. As part of this experiment, citizens expressed their opinions about the location, so that their needs and expectations are considered at the design stage.

To facilitate the activity of the National Employment Agency territorial units, each of the three municipal employment departments in Chisinau, Cahul, and Balti were equipped with an automobile. Now, the Agency’s employees can travel to the different communities of their municipalities in order to communicate with employers who have vacancies and inform job seekers about the existing offers.

The cost for office renovation and for the procurement of the three cars amounts to approximately US$283,000.

In 2021, UNDP and the Government of Switzerland are planning to renovate the Soroca Employment Department, following the Chisinau model, which serves as an example to be replicated countrywide.

UNDP Moldova has also supported earlier the modernization of the police stations of Singerei town and of the Buiucani district in the capital.  

The construction standards approved as of 1 June 2014 set out requirements for physical accessibility of buildings. Thus, any private and public institution is responsible for ensuring a dignified and comfortable access for every person.