SOFIA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev on Tuesday said his country should take measures to retain its human capital in a bid to make the national economy more competitive.
The efforts in terms of human capital should be complex, Donchev said addressing a conference by the Bulgarian business leaders' forum.
"Currently, there is a heavy competition between regions and countries not only to attract public and private investment but also to attract blood -- quality human capital, which is one of the main factors that generate competitiveness," Donchev said.
Being part of, if not the global but at least the pan-European labor market, Bulgaria is not in a very good position, he said.
"The easiest way is to throw the responsibility on you and tell you that you give lower wages and, therefore, a large part of the workforce prefers to work abroad," Donchev said.
However, it would be unfair because employers could bear about half of the responsibility in this respect, he said.
"People choose where to work and where to live not only on the basis of the salary they receive," Donchev said, "We lack the feeling of a shared goal."
According to official data, the number of people who live in Bulgaria is 7.1 million. Meanwhile, some 2 million people with Bulgarian citizenship live abroad.
