Since the ratification of two trade agreements in 2014, Moldova has been making steps to better position its brands and take greater advantage of its duty-free access to some of the world’s most prosperous markets.
Social Responsibility Secures Better Jobs for Low Skilled Workers .
Project Success Story | January 10, 2019
Moldovan women, working within light industry factories, possess the opportunity for better salaries, safer working conditions, and enhanced productivity due to the USAID- and Sweden-funded Moldova Competitiveness Project SMART program.
The Moldova Competitiveness Project (MCP) SMART program (Streamline Manufacturing, Accountability, Resource efficiency and Transparency) supports large factories to assess risks, enhance productivity, and improve occupational health and safety. This results in more jobs, good working conditions, and salaries up to twice the national average for the thousands of women these factories employ. This is significant because light industry is one of Moldova’s largest sectors, employing 30,000 people, 90% of whom are women. Low-skilled women in the sector are some of the most vulnerable to the twin pressures of migration and human trafficking, earning salaries as low as 5500 MDL a month (about $315 USD, per Moldovan statistics).