For the first time since 2017, the number of employees in the state administration has decreased. That's according to the 2023 State of the Administration Report, which says the number of people employed in the administration has dropped by about 300 people in a year.
An exception is 2020, during the large-scale national lockdown due to the coronavirus, when many government employees were laid off and institutions switched to an online version of work.
A total of 131,496 people are employed in the administration. They work at different levels, and accordingly their pay is different, the report also points out.
The highest paid are the directors of directorates in key institutions such as the National Insurance Agency, the National Institute of Health, the National Health Insurance Fund and others. There, the minimum salaries of clerks start at BGN 2,108 and reach a staggering BGN 6,000.
Salaries of experts at different levels start from BGN 933 and go up to BGN 3,985, with the highest clerical salaries for an expert going to senior experts in the Council of Ministers, regulatory commissions and other agencies.
Interns' salaries range from BGN 1,000 to BGN 1,885, and associates receive between BGN 933 and BGN 2,203, with the highest paid senior specialists, accountants and some technical positions.