Labor Market Activates in August, but Decline Remains

The completion of the summer season gives a boost to the labor market. According to data from the leading career portal "JobTiger", the search for new employees in the country increased by 5% in August, marking an increase of over 1700 new job postings compared to the previous month of July. However, this positive monthly dynamic fails to compensate for the significant annual decline, which remains at 7% fewer job offers compared to the same period of the previous year, which is equivalent to about 3100 fewer positions.

The Market Wakes Up After Vacations

The experts from the HR company behind the analysis explain the sharp increase in the number of job postings with the end of the traditional vacation period. With the approach of autumn, many employees and employers return to their offices, and human resources teams renew their active search for personnel. Companies resume projects that were temporarily frozen during the summer and focus on achieving their annual business goals. This mobilization often includes the opening of new jobs needed to fulfill the commitments made by the end of the year. In addition, sectors such as retail, logistics, and e-commerce are already preparing for the upcoming peak season, including key events such as "Black Friday" and the Christmas holidays, which requires hiring additional labor.

Distribution by Sectors and Cities

• Trade and Sales: 26% of job postings
• Production: 21% of job postings
• Hospitality and Restaurants: 15% of job postings
• Logistics and Transport: 14% of job postings
• Administrative and Service Activities: 11% of job postings

Despite the overall growth in the country, opportunities for remote work remain at the same level as in July, with the most work-from-home job postings being offered in the IT sector (44%), followed by Administrative and Service Activities (18%).

The trend of monthly growth is observed in all major regional cities. Sofia registered a 1% increase, Plovdiv - 12%, Varna - 4%, Burgas - 14%, Ruse - 12%, and the biggest jump was registered by Stara Zagora with a full 21%.

Geographic Focus

Although the market is picking up across the country, the capital city of Sofia remains the absolute leader in the share of job postings, concentrating 40% of all offers. It is followed by Plovdiv with 10% and Varna with 9%. The other major cities have the following distribution: Burgas - 5%, Ruse - 3%, and Stara Zagora - 3%.

The experts from "JobTiger" expect the activity in the labor market to continue to strengthen in the last months of the year as companies strive to meet their goals and prepare for the upcoming holiday campaigns.