The Sixth Local Employment Partnership was launched in Hîncești district, Republic of Moldova

Hîncești LEP was developed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, social partners and Hîncești District Council, with the assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the project "Inclusive and productive employment in Moldova", financed by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). 

"One of the key elements of this event is that decision-makers gathered at this round table and made an important decision to address the problems and obstacles in the local labor market. I am convinced that this project will work and will contribute to the economic development of the Hîncești district, which has a lot of potential," said Valentina Manic, Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.

Felicia Bechtoldt, State Secretary within the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, mentioned that through the LEPs, relevant local actors identify the challenges in the local labor market and propose solutions for job creation and the transition to formalization. 

"Local actors identify key sectors and job creation opportunities, develop the necessary training programs for the local labor market, but most importantly, they help people acquire a profession and certain skills that enable them to obtain a job with a decent income here at home," stated Felicia Bechtoldt.

It is estimated that around 226 jobs will be created and formalized while implementing the LEP in Hîncești district. The LEP will also contribute to the expansion of 141 small and micro enterprises, the creation of a cooperative and the launch of 19 start-ups in sectors with potential for job creation, such as beekeeping and processing of agricultural products. About 1,100 inhabitants of Hîncești district, including people at risk of social exclusion, will directly benefit from the opportunities offered by the LEP, and over 2,000 people in the district will benefit indirectly.

"Moldova has been collaborating with the IOM to promote LEPs since 2018. The recognition and support provided by 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 IOM and the Swiss Government have identified LEPs as a means to create efficient, gender-sensitive, and inclusive jobs at the local level, fully integrated into the country's reform efforts and ambitious European integration agenda.", stated Claire Harasty, director of the Decent Work Team of the ILO Country Bureau in Budapest. 

Hîncești Local Employment Partnership comprises seven Intervention Actions, including the following: 

• Provision of information to NEETs and vulnerable persons concerning educational and employment opportunities. 
• Another Intervention Line provides for improvements in the employability of construction workers by developing their practical skills. The workers will benefit from training programmes adapted to the needs of the market so that they can subsequently be employed; they will also benefit from consultancy services on starting up businesses (“entrepreneurship”) and assistance in accessing grants and procurement of equipment. 
• Formalization and modernization of beekeeping businesses in rural areas. Within this Intervention Line, the beekeepers of the district will benefit from business development services and specialized training in order to formalize their activity and apply for grant programmes and agricultural subsidies. It will also generate jobs in the countryside.
• Formalization of household handicraft activities and job creation in rural areas. More folk crafts people, especially women, will be assisted in formalizing their activities and launching businesses to create employment opportunities for women, inactive young people and low-skilled unemployed in rural areas.
• Development and formalization of small businesses in rural areas. Small producers, especially women, will be helped to start or expand their businesses and to create jobs by improving sales infrastructure and registering the business. They will also be granted the right to use the brand name "Product of Hîncești".
• Development of small agricultural producers’ processing skills in rural areas. Agricultural producers will be given help in association, formalizing their economic activity and creating jobs by developing the infrastructure for the collection, storage and processing of agricultural products in the countryside.
• Support for the development of business skills (“entrepreneurship”) among young people and women. More young people and women will benefit from business training and support in developing a business plan, and subsequently in launching a business and creating jobs.

LEP represents an innovation based on "negotiated planning" between the relevant local partners, who assume interconnected roles and responsibilities to develop and implement solutions to respond to labour market challenges, adapted to local circumstances. The implementation of Hîncești LEP foresees the participation of about 15 public and private partners at the national and local level, including educational institutions, the territorial employment subdivision, non-governmental organizations, and associations of producers, local enterprises and investors. The LEP is designed under the auspices of the Territorial Commission for Consultation and Collective Bargaining (TCCCB), a social dialogue platform bringing together representatives of local public authorities, and trade unions and employers’ associations at the local level. 

Hîncești LEP will be implemented with the financial assistance of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO), which will grant US$405,620. The International Labour Organization will contribute US$318,866 for the implementation of several service lines, and the local and national partners will invest US$86,753 for business expansion activities, setting up enterprises and carrying out professional training and internship programmes. The remaining costs will be covered by the in-kind contributions of other local actors participating in Hîncești LEP.

During 2018–2023, the ILO implemented five LEPs in the Republic of Moldova, in the following districts: Cahul, Cantemir, Căușeni, Soroca and Rezina.

For more details, please contact Violeta Vrabie, ILO project coordinator. Phone: + (373) 78 11 33 90; e-mail: vrabie@ilo.org