Zornitsa Rusinova, Chair of the Economic and Social Council, participated in the opening of the 21st International Scientific Conference of the International Higher Business School on the topic “Organizations of the Future. Business Education. Leadership. Human Resource Development.”
In her remarks, she emphasized that, given the complex geopolitical, economic, and social environment, effective collaboration between organized civil society, the scientific community, and institutions is key to formulating sustainable and effective policies.
Rusinova emphasized the accelerating technological transformation and the challenges that the advent of artificial intelligence poses for education, the labor market, and the development of human capital. According to her, organizations and institutions are faced with the need to simultaneously adapt their management models, invest in new skills, and ensure social sustainability and the protection of workers.
“The challenges posed by technological transformation and the rise of artificial intelligence are significant. Toward the end of last year, European statistics showed that about 13% of companies with more than 10 employees were using artificial intelligence, but in just two years, that share has grown by 5%. This shows how rapidly AI is being adopted and how serious the challenges are for education and preparing people for the labor market,” Rusinova noted.
She noted that, along with opportunities to boost productivity and competitiveness, artificial intelligence also raises a number of issues related to employment, the deepening of inequalities, the need for reskilling, and ensuring ethical standards in the use of new technologies.
The Chair of the ESC also presented some of the Council’s current work related to labor market dynamics, digital transformation, and the impact of artificial intelligence.
“We, as the Economic and Social Council, have also been working hard over the past year on issues related to labor market dynamics, artificial intelligence, and the major economic challenges facing the country. Within the next month, we are set to complete an analysis of the reproduction of professions, commissioned by the National Assembly. This could serve as a good basis for discussing how education in Bulgaria can continue to transform itself to meet both the needs of the labor market and business, as well as the serious demographic challenges in healthcare and the social sector,” Rusinova stated.
According to her, the theme of this year’s conference is extremely timely, as organizations today are facing not just technological change, but a comprehensive transformation of the way we learn, work, govern, and build trust in society.
Assoc. Prof. Milena Angelova, a member of the ESC “Employers” Group and Secretary General of the AIKB, also participated in the scientific conference.
During the forum, participants discussed issues related to business education, leadership, human resources development, sustainable management models, and the role of human capital in the context of global economic and technological changes.
