site.btaEmployers “Moderately Optimistic” about Labour Market Dynamics

Employers in Bulgaria are moderately optimistic about labour market dynamics, shows a nationwide survey conducted by the Bulgarian Employment Confederation (BEC), which was published earlier this month. The survey looks at employers’ expectations for the six-month period from April to September 2025.

BEC data show that the employment index (which the organization defines as the difference between the share of employers planning to hire new staff during the period discussed in the survey and the share of those planning to make staff cuts) is in positive territory at +3 percentage points (pp). This is a decrease by 1 pp compared with the previous six-month period and a considerable drop from April-September 2024, when the index stood at +16 pp. In other words, employers currently tend to be more cautious about enlarging their staff.

About 22% of respondents in the survey intend to enlarge their staff between April and September 2025, another 19% foresee staff cuts, and 53% plan no changes in terms of staff size, according to the survey, which was conducted among 1,078 companies in 12 economic sectors.

BEC Chair Nadya Vasileva commented: “The share of hesitant employers has decreased considerably to 12% at present from 24% in the previous period. The drop is due mainly to a growing shortage of skilled employees, which leads companies to streamline and retain their existing teams. Employers need not just staff, they need sustainable solutions. They are cautious about recruiting workers and focus on long-term effectiveness amid global uncertainty and technological change.”

Among the regions covered by the survey, Sofia remains the most dynamic labour market, with 62% of employers in the area planning to hire new staff in the next six months. But their share has gone down by 12 pp compared with the previous survey, which shows a slowdown after several years of intense growth.

The regions of Plovdiv (+14 pp), Varna (+12 pp) and Burgas (+10 pp) report moderate growth in the share of employers intending to hire new workers, which indicates an expansion of economic activity beyond the national capital, BEC says. Ruse, alone among Bulgaria’s most populous regions, maintains an unchanged employment index of +2 pp, the same as in the previous survey.

“Regional disparities show a need for more focused policies at the local level,” Vasileva said. “While Sofia stabilizes, we see potential for growth in Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas, provided that the right kind of support and investments are available.”

The information technology industry has retained its leading position, with an employment index of +15 pp for April-September 2025. But the trend is downward, from +24 pp a year earlier and +19 pp in the previous survey. At the same time, the sector of manufacturing (+13 pp) and a composite sector encompassing finance, insurance, real estate and business services (+12 pp) have seen an increase by 4 pp and 6 pp, respectively.

Positive staff recruitment plans have also been reported in the hotels and restaurants sector (+10 pp) and in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (+4 pp), which is a normal sign that seasonal businesses are picking up.

Vasileva said: “The most important conclusion from this survey is that employers have learned to adapt. Change is no longer a cause for panic, but rather a reason to make strategic plans with an eye on strategic growth and staff retention.”