Aleksandra Ravnachka

The transformation of the labour market is a significant challenge for sustainable regional development, especially in countries with pronounced socioeconomic inequalities. This study aims to analyse the spatial disparities in the Bulgarian labour market at the regional level (NUTS 3, districts) for the period of 2021–2024, combining descriptive spatial analysis, multidimensional cluster analysis, and Local Indicator of Spatial Association (Local Moran’s I-LISA). The analysis is based on three key indicators: employment rates, unemployment rates, and the relative wage index, calculated against the national average. The results of the descriptive analysis reveal clear spatial imbalances, with low labour income persisting in many districts despite relatively high employment rates. The cluster analysis identifies four types of labour markets with specific socioeconomic profiles, confirming that the spatial disparities are a result of specific combinations of indicators and economic specialisation at the regional level. The LISA analysis further reveals the existence of spatially stable cores of vulnerability and local spatial anomalies that highlight the importance of regional context and spatial proximity. The results indicate the need for a spatially differentiated approach in regional policies in line with the objectives of SDG8, SDG10, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the EU’s cohesion policy.

In the contemporary digital world, data is a pivotal capital considered an economic factor for generating digital products and services. The rapid growth in data volume and their heterogeneity requires optimization of the data management in order to extract higher added value from them. In the context of this issue, one of the goals of the National Scientific Program “Environmental Protection and Risk Reduction from Adverse Events and Natural Disasters” is the creation of a unified geo-informational environment integrating the data from the work packages. To realize this goal, the present study examines certain aspects of data quality related to their usability. By reviewing basic standards for geospatial data, the metadata paradigm, and previous experience in data quality assessment, a theoretical framework with the main stages of a methodological approach evaluating the suitability of primary data sources for building a unified geoinformation database has been developed. The research results reflect the application of developed criteria systems (detailed and generalized) in analyzing the quality and the study of the suitability degree of selected information resources for one of the Program’s working packages. The results of extensive surveys from work program packages have been generalized. Selected primary data sources have been catalogued, and a multicriteria methodological approach has been developed to assess their quality in terms of their suitability for the unity of the database.