Photo: social.gov.md
The stated goal of “e-Zilier” is to transition the tracking of seasonal employment from paper-based to digital formats. It is expected that this solution will reduce bureaucracy for farmer-employers, while for hired workers, it will improve the accuracy of recording workdays and the payment of social contributions, which will affect the size of their pensions. At the same time, electronic record-keeping both aligns with and stimulates Moldova’s European integration efforts.
To support users of the “e-Zilier” platform, the government has established a technical team of five specialists who will travel to the field daily to assist farmers and accountants. User manuals, phone support, online consultations, and a dedicated email address have also been provided.
What Ministers Are Saying and What Farmers Think
The platform was presented at a joint press conference by Minister of Labor and Social Protection Natalia Plugaru and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Liudmila Catlabuga.
At the press conference marking the official launch of “e-Zilier,” Natalia Plugaru noted that the platform does not alter the existing legal framework for labor and social protection; it merely improves monitoring and record-keeping. “We are not changing existing rules, nor are we introducing new taxes or additional obligations. We are simply moving to an online environment what was previously managed using paper registries,” the minister stated.
In turn, Minister Liudmila Katlabuga emphasized that the platform does not complicate, but rather facilitates, farmers’ activities as employers. “Our goal is not to create barriers between farmers and people who want to work. On the contrary, we want the work performed to be recognized and protected. I urge everyone who works seasonally to view this platform as an investment in their own future. Today it may seem like just another workday, but in the future these days may matter when it comes to social rights and pensions,” said Lyudmila Katlabuga.
At the same time, the minister acknowledged that concerns have recently arisen in the agricultural sector regarding the launch of this system.
In a conversation with a Logos Press correspondent, farmers noted that, in general, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to hire the necessary number of able-bodied day laborers. At the same time, workers themselves are often not interested in leaving any kind of official “trace of employment”—whether on paper or electronically. For them, this is a “matter of distrust in the state’s good intentions,” rather than a question of money—specifically, a potential reduction in actual earnings due to the need to pay social contributions when registering employment “on the books.”
According to data presented at the “e-Zilier” presentation, the share of informal employment in the economy decreased by more than 3%—from 20.6% in 2024 to 17.3% in 2025. However, in agriculture, this rate remains high. Last year alone, approximately 8,000 people were identified as working without an employment contract (of whom 7,280 were subsequently legally employed). At the same time, interest in declaring seasonal work is growing. The number of declared day laborers increased from 7,181 in 2024 to 10,425 in 2025, and the number of economic agents employing day laborers rose from 532 to 794.
