Bulgaria's Unemployment Down to 9,07% in September

The unemployment rate in Bulgaria in September has dropped to 9,07%, announced Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov.

According to him, there are currently about 3000 available job positions. He also added that the unemployment is decreasing slowly but steadily in the past seven months.

Statistics show that since February unemployment has dropped from 10,26% to about 9%.

About 6000-7000 people are expected to be left without jobs after the seasonal employment during the summer is over. However, many of them will be redirected from the summer to the winter resorts.

Mladenov said that despite this fact, about 3800 job positions are expected to be left vacant because there are no candidates for them. They are mostly positions in the processing industry, which are unattractive because of the offered minimum salary of BGN 240.

The labor minister also pointed out that the minimum insurance threshold will increase by 40% for economic activities. The average increase will be 5,6% and about 10% higher insurance thresholds will be implemented in the tourism and trade sectors, he added.

Mladenov has explained that in 2011 the higher insurance thresholds will bring to the National Insurance Fund about BGN 110 M more than this year.

He also confirmed that next year there will be differentiated thresholds for the self-employed.

At present, all self-employed people pay the respective amount on BGN 420. Starting next year, some self-employed will have lower, other higher thresholds, which will be determined on the declared income for 2010.