In 2024, only 42 percent of Moldova's working-age population was employed, far below the EU average of 76 percent.

A new project will see the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and the National Employment Agency of the Republic of Moldova (ANOFM) work together to reduce Moldova's unemployment rate.

This includes developing advisory and support systems for job seekers and employers to help people find and keep jobs. 

The Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) said this will support Moldova's social policy and employment reforms in preparation for EU accession.

Karolin Kõrreveski, head of international relations at the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, said the agency was honored to be working with its Moldovan counterparts during their EU accession process.

Estonian experts will lead seminars and mentoring sessions to develop proposals for the labour market in line with Moldova's needs.

"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. 

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 an assessment with the European Network of Public Employment Services this year, which is a quality marker for employment policy development. 

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