1. STUDY ON THE SITUATION OF THE UNEMPLOYED AND THE VISUAL/ AUDITIVE DISABLED IN ROMANIA Project "Improvement of Employment Chances of the Unemployed and the Visual and Auditive Disabled by using Virtual Learning Applications" - IECUVADVLA - “Octav Onicescu” High School & Romanian Foundation for Quality Promotion Bucharest/ Romania February 2005

2. 2 Unemployment rate in Romania Unemployment rate : 6% (end of September 2004) < 6,7% (end of September 2003) Regions with highest unemployment rate: North-East (7,4%) and Center (7,3%) Regions with lowest unemployment rate: North-West (4%) and Bucharest (2,7%).

3. 3 Year 2004Year 2003 Total% % Unemployed 547.8116608.8206,76,7 Women unemployed 233.14742,7-- Men unemployed 314.14757,3-- Unemployment rate in Romania

4. 4 Level of qualification Unemployment rate (%) Low (primary school) 75,1 Intermediate (college) 20,2 High (university) 4,74,7 Unemployment rate in Romania

5. 5 Age groups (years) Unemployment rate (%) 30-39 26,3 40-4926,1 under 2521,0 Unemployment rate in Romania

6. 6 Some legal unemployment counter-measures in Romania Unemployed people may receive an unemployment allowance representing 75% of the minimum gross salary amount (granted at national level) Employers may receive a money compensation amounting to the minimum gross salary amount (granted at national level) - if they have hired unemployed people over 45 years old, or - if they have at least 100 employees, of which some are disabled people hired on unlimited length.

7. 7 Some legal unemployment counter-measures in Romania Employers who hire unemployed people who will be retired after 3 years from the employment date benefit by a monthly money compensation amounting to the minimum gross salary (granted at national level); this compensation is provided by the budget of unemployment assurance.

8. 8 Romanian organizations for disabled people A central governmental organization National Authority for Handicapped Persons (ANPH) co-operates with all territorial governmental Inspectorates for the Persons with Handicap in order to elaborate and implement programs and projects aiming to improve the situation of the disabled people. The main non-governmental organization dedicated to disabled people is the National Organization of the Persons with Handicap (ONPH) - a confederation of non- governmental organizations of persons with all types of disabilities.

9. 9 Some facts about disabled people from Romania Number of disabled people registered as totally blind or partially sighted : 81.000 (year 2004) Number of disabled people registered as deaf : 300.000 (year 2004) In some secondary schools and universities, disabled people may use adequate information technologies (like the facilities offered by Windows or Linux operating system).

10. 10 Main deficiency of the education and training system for Romania’s disabled people The main deficiency of the educational and training system for visually disabled people consists in its few professions the young people are prepared for: - manufacturing brushes and cardboard packing-case, massage; - carpentry, tapestry, plastic objects and cans for food industry; physiotherapy.

11. 11 Special legal provisions for disabled people Companies having over 100 employees are obliged to hire at least 4% disabled people and to offer them all adaptations and facilities required by their type of disability. Persons with disabilities benefit by a reduction of standard age of retirement with 10-15 years.

12. 12 A governmental body for unemployed people The National Agency for Occupation of the Labor Force (ANOFM) coordinates a network of governmental Regional Agencies, enabling them to offer to all unemployed people : -Updated information on available jobs on the labor market; -Free qualification and professional conversional courses; -Stages of practice and professional specializations; -Advices and other assistance aiming to help interested people to begin an independent activity.

13. 13 Education and training for unemployed people According to the National Plan of Professional Training, during the year 2004, 2052 education and training courses for unemployed people were planned and provided. Most of these courses were organized in those areas where most of jobs were available: - light industry - constructions - services for population catering.

14. 14 Actual working fields offering jobs to Romania’s unemployed people Following working fields are offering in Romania most numerous jobs to unemployed people: -IT/Software/Internet -Sales/Marketing -Media/Advertising -Management -Finance/Accounting -Administration and secretariat.

15. 15 Most important findings The unemployed and disabled people from Romania have to face some major difficulties, as for example: -the lack of an effective communication between employers and education & training organizations; -the lack of an available statistical data on the distribution of young employees with disabilities and/or of unemployed people with visual and hearing problems; - the lack of free training offered to the unemployed who are over 45 years old, within the IT working field, although most of them don’t have knowledge and skills about the use of computers and Internet technologies.