People over 50 have a lot to offer, and the state should help them in the job market, social minister Natalia Efremova said at the opening of the "Young Talents 50+" forum in Sofia.

She said the reason is an ageing population. At the end of 2025, Bulgaria has more than 1.5 million people over 65, which the minister said is one in four people of pension age.

The number of people of working age in Bulgaria is falling. Efremova said it is therefore very important how everyone up to that age is drawn into the job market and kept there.

"It is a fact that 50+ is the new age of success, and this is not a cliché," Efremova told BTA. She said 50 is no longer a limit but an age when people have experience, maturity and real-life knowledge.

The minister said people over 50 can be good mentors and pass on their experience to younger workers. She said that combining the skills of different generations can be the key to a company's success. They can also start a different kind of work.

Efremova pointed to national programmes for free training and subsidised jobs. She called on people to keep building their skills, because artificial intelligence and digital tools are entering the workplace.