Times are changing, so are human values. Once, the Bulgarians were willing to work hard in order to prove their skills and competence. Today the term labor is associated with higher incomes. May 1 has turned into an almost ordinary day in the calendar of most people, especially the young ones. This generation shares the view that to work well means to guarantee normal living conditions for yourself and your family with the pay you receive for your work.

The Bulgarian has always doubted the words of those politicians who have been promising that the popular Bulgarian assiduousness will make miracles in a short period of time and prosperity will prevail on these lands. The politicians promise bright social perspectives, new jobs and high incomes, but…they do it at the end of their mandates. Some make fortune from political games, yet the ordinary people struggle to make both ends meet, despite the heavy efforts they put into work. The term labor is no longer viewed as a supreme value in the public conscience.

Yes, there are governmental policies aimed at creating higher employment, launching employment programs and increasing peoples’ incomes, but this increase is so insignificant that people could hardly feel it. On the other hand, according to statistics, there are some 250,000 Bulgarians who are neither working, nor searching for a job. Have Bulgarian people become lazier in times when “money reigns”, or everything depends on how much their labor is estimated at?

“Those who want to work make the necessary efforts”, contends a thirty-year-old Bulgarian lawyer. “The fact that one is unwilling to work is mainly associated with his personal character. I do not think that we should call a given nation lazier than another one. Those who wish to work will find the way to do it, no matter whether they are Bulgarians, Turks, German or any other nationals. The ones who are unwilling to work will always find an excuse.”

“Bulgarians do not work less that other nations”, contends a local entrepreneur. The wages will not increase through promises of politicians who are trying to find a way to be in the country’s government. In his view, these promises are directed to people who are not able to see in details the real steps that have to be made in this country in the right direction.

“The only way to earn more is to produce more and conquer new markets. Moreover, Bulgaria should step on abandoned markets and restore its lost relations with the countries that were formerly our trade partners. The biggest mistake the country made in the past is linked with the fact that it allowed shadow economy to interfere in the country’s policy.”

“Bulgaria needs to maintain a steadfast social and budget policy, so that the incomes can increase on a constant basis”, a fifty seven-year-old lawyer says. In his view the current budget policy reflects the current state of the country. It corresponds to the current situation and has no long-term perspective.

“Traditionally Bulgarians have a good working capacity, but apparently the recent changes in the public, political and economic life made people look for other ways to receive incomes. Nearly 90% of all Bulgarians who depart to work abroad do not work in their field of studies. They do jobs which require lower qualification, but even the wages from these types of jobs abroad are much higher than the pay received in Bulgaria. This is an economic stimulus which makes people prefer other countries to Bulgaria. If the current trend continues in Bulgaria, the reflux of young people from this country will continue as well.”

“I do not think that wages in Bulgaria are fair”, contends a forty odd year-old IT expert who does not rule out the opportunities to work abroad. “No matter how much people earn, they can not cope with poverty.”

“Everyone says that things should improve, but I think people actually like the way they live. That is why nothing has changed and is not likely to change in the future. Things will be the same even in twenty years. My friends think the same way too. They are all intelligent people who have university degrees and are very good in their profession. Unfortunately, the opportunities in this country are limited. The older generation has no chance to prosper abroad, but the young ones who can give a new meaning to their lives somewhere else can benefit from these opportunities. In Bulgaria one person makes something good and another one hundred ruin everything. It does not make sense.”

A fifty-year-old woman is positive: “Bulgarians are hard-working abroad and lazy in their country.”

“People see that working abroad makes sense. We are not talking about the labor payment only. People also need normal living conditions in order to fully devote to their job. The working and the living atmosphere are what matter the most and then comes the pay. When one is undisturbed, he can think more about his job. In Bulgaria this is not taken into consideration.”

English version: Kostadin Atanasov