Salaries, unemployment up in Q1 in Bulgaria

Source: Xinhua | 2020-05-15

Salaries and unemployment in Bulgaria in the first quarter have increased over the same period of last year, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said Thursday.

Preliminary data showed that average monthly wages and salaries in the first quarter rose by 9 percent year-on-year to 1,317 Bulgarian levs (732 U.S. dollars).

The highest growth rates were recorded in real estate (20.6 percent), education (12.5 percent), and information and communication (10.4 percent), the NSI said.

Employees in the information and communication sector earned the highest wages and salaries, 3,236 levs per month, nearly 4.5 times more than those in accommodation and food service activities, where the figure stood at 737 levs.

Meanwhile, the NSI said the number of employees under labor contract at the end of March decreased by 54,000, or 2.3 percent year-on-year.

The steepest drop in absolute figures was observed in accommodation and food service activities -- with 24,900 people, while the highest increase was registered in information and communication -- with 8,400 people, the NSI said.