Employees and average wages and salaries - Fourth quarter of 2025

The number of employees under labour contract at the end of December 2025 decreased by 12.5 thousand, or 0.5%, as compared to the end of September 2025, and reached 2.34 million according to the preliminary data of the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The highest decrease was observed in the economic activities: ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ - by 6.3%, ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ - by 5.0%, and ‘Real estate activities’ - by 3.2%. The highest increase of the number of employees - by 1.3%, was recorded in the economic activity ‘Human health and social work activities’.

At the end of December 2025, as compared to December 2024, the number of employees under labour contract increased by 29.3 thousand, or by 1.3%. The highest increase in absolute figures was observed in the economic activities ‘Human health and social work activities’ - by 11.7 thousand, ‘Construction’ - by 5.6 thousand, and ‘Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles’ - by 5.1 thousand, and the highest decrease was in ‘Manufacturing’ - by 7.6 thousand, and in ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ - by 1.6 thousand. In percentages, the highest increase at the end of December 2025, as compared to December 2024, was in the following economic activities: ‘Human health and social work activities’ - by 5.8%, ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation’ - by 5.1%, and in ‘Other service activities’ - by 4.9%, as the highest decrease was reported in ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ - by 2.5%, and in ‘Mining and quarrying’ - by 2.2%.

The average monthly wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract in October were 2 641 BGN, in November - 2 654 BGN, and in December 2025 - 2 741 BGN.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, in comparison with the third quarter of 2025, the average monthly wages and salaries increased by 5.1% and reached 2 678 BGN. The highest increase in wages and salaries was reported in: ‘Education’ - by 13.0%, ‘Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’ - by 8.5%, and in ‘Arts, entertainment and recreation’ - by 7.9%.

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, the average monthly wages and salaries in the fourth quarter of 2025 rose by 11.0%. The highest growth rates were recorded in the economic activities: ‘Real estate activities’ - by 18.1%, ‘Administrative and support service activities’ - by 15.6%, and ‘Construction’ - by 15.2%.

The economic activities with the highest wages and salaries in the fourth quarter of 2025 were:

• ‘Information and communication’ - 5 739 BGN;
• ‘Financial and insurance activities’ - 3 969 BGN;
• ‘Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply’ - 3 840 BGN.

The lowest wages and salaries were recorded in:

• ‘Accommodation and food service activities’ - 1 617 BGN;
• ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ - 1 770 BGN;
• ‘Other service activities’ - 1 859 BGN.

In comparison with a year earlier, the average monthly wages and salaries in the public sector grew by 10.6% and in the private sector - by 11.2%.

Methodological notes

The source of information is the ‘Quarterly Survey on employees, hours worked, wages and salaries, and other expenditures paid by the employer’. The main purpose of this sample survey is to make a study of the current state and dynamics of some main aspects of the labour market. The sample used for the survey is a stratified random sample without replacement. Stratification criteria used include: economic activity (NACE, Rev. 2), size of the enterprise (according to the number of employees) and regional breakdown (28 districts, NUTS3).

Annex