The minimum wage in Bulgaria should increase to BGN 1,213 (around EUR 620) as of January 1, 2026, up from the current BGN 1,077, according to Luboslav Kostov, Chief Economist of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB).
Union representatives expressed concern that the government’s draft decree setting the new rate had not yet been published, despite the availability of all necessary statistical data.
“We are worried because less than a week remains until the deadline. The law clearly states that until September 1 the Council of Ministers must issue a decree for public consultation on the new minimum wage. Based on the available data, it should be BGN 1,213, or EUR 620. I cannot understand why only the Minister of Labor is commenting on the minimum wage, when in fact it is the responsibility of the entire government. The mechanism for setting it is written into the Labor Code, so we expect a swift response,” Kostov explained.
Under the Labor Code, the minimum wage is determined by a special mechanism: it must equal 50% of the average wage over a 12-month period, covering the last two quarters of the previous year and the first two quarters of the current year. (Novinite)