site.btaUPDATED Social Policy Ministry Proposes Minimum Wage of BGN 1,213 from Start of 2026

The Labour and Social Policy Ministry proposes that the minimum wage be set at BGN 1,213 from January 1, 2026. It has done so in a draft ordinance that was put up for public consultation on Tuesday and will be open for opinion until September 25, according to an entry in the portal for public consultation.

The increase will push up the income of close to 600,000 people.

The minimum hourly pay rate is set at BGN 7.21 (EUR 3.74). 

According to official statistics, as of the second quarter of 2025, approximately 456,700 people are employed on a full-time labor contract receiving the minimum wage. The increase in the lowest wage will raise the pay of about 83,000 personal assistants, who provide care for children and adults with disabilities, by 12.6%. The salaries of nearly 30,000 employees in state-funded social services will also increase. The wages of all workers under employment programmes and measures financed by the state budget, as well as professional foster families, will be raised as well, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs.

At the initiative of Labour and Social Policy Minister Borislav Gutsanov, the ministry has resumed dialogue with nationally representative employer organizations and trade unions to develop a mechanism for setting the minimum wage. Throughout the year, multiple meetings with social partners were held in search of the most appropriate and balanced solution for improving the process. Although there has been some convergence in positions, no agreement was reached on changing the mechanism for determining the minimum wage, the Ministry further stated.

For this reason, the new minimum wage has been set in accordance with the provisions of the Labor Code. According to the law, the minimum wage for the country for the next calendar year is determined as 50% of the average gross wage for the last two quarters of the previous year and the first two quarters of the current year. This method complies with one of the reference values for adequacy assessment proposed by the EU Directive on adequate minimum wages — 50% of the gross average wage.

The higher minimum wage will help reduce in-work poverty and increase the purchasing power and consumption of the lowest-income groups in the labor market. The proposed amount of BGN 1,213 aligns with forecasts for GDP growth and labor market trends in Bulgaria, the ministry added.

The proposal will be discussed in the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation with nationally representative employer organizations and trade unions. It will then be submitted to the Council of Ministers for government approval.

Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria president Plamen Dimitrov (CITUB) told BTA at the end of July that according to union calculations, the minimum wage for 2026 should be between BGN 1,210 and 1,212, or an increase by 12.3% from the current figure.