Labour inspectors will visit schools and universities across Bulgaria from 19 to 23 October 2026 to tell young people about their rights when they start work, the General Labour Inspectorate Executive Agency (GLI) said. This year the meetings cover a new topic: psychosocial risks at work.
The visits are part of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work, which the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) and its partners hold every year in the 43rd calendar week of October.
The GLI has added to its presentation for pupils and students. Inspectors will explain what psychosocial risks are and how to prevent them. The new topic supports the EU-OSHA campaign "Healthy Workplaces: Together for Mental Health at Work", which runs from 2026 to 2028.
According to EU-OSHA, 45% of workers in the European Union face risks to their mental well-being at work. Of these, 29% suffer from stress, anxiety or depression caused by their job. The agency says employers and public bodies should work together to prevent, assess and manage these risks.
At the meetings, inspectors will also talk about how to start a job safely and why an employment contract matters. They will also tackle one of the biggest myths: that working without a contract is a way to see whether the job suits the worker.
The GLI reminds employers that they must give the worker a copy of the signed contract before the worker starts. An employer who wants to test a worker's skills can sign a contract with a probation period.
The inspectorate runs the campaign in schools every year. It sees it as good practice and a long-term priority. The agency's management wants young people to enter the job market with confidence and to know their rights and duties. Earlier campaigns are described in the "Press centre" section of the GLI website.
In October 2026 we reported that labour inspectors, including colleagues from the directorate in Burgas, found more than 4,600 violations at resorts on the Black Sea coast in 950 checks between May and September. A total of 142 people worked without an employment contract.
In March 2026 the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AICB) gave the GLI a certificate of merit in the national "Economy in the Light" contest, in the category "For a person or organisation that has helped to curb and prevent the informal economy through an active stance". The award recognised its school campaigns and its steady role against undeclared work.