Employment in Burgas: Number of Hired People Grows, Wages Lag

Preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) indicate that as of the end of June 2025, the number of employed persons under an employment or civil service relationship in the Burgas region has reached 123.1 thousand people. This indicator affirms the region's position as one of the key economic centers in the country, ranking it 4th among the 28 regions in terms of the number of employed persons.

Employment dominated by tourism

The local economy's strong dependence on the tourism sector is clearly visible in the employment structure. The largest relative share of employed people is in the activities of "Accommodation and food service activities_, which account for 17.9% of the total number of employees. The "Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles_ sector also has a significant contribution with 15.4%. This data highlights the importance of the summer season for the regional labor market, as tourism and related services generate thousands of jobs.

Salaries below the national average

Despite the high number of employed persons, data on the average salary in the region reveals a more nuanced picture. In the second quarter of 2025, the average gross monthly salary in Burgas was BGN 2,048, which places it significantly below the national average of BGN 2,572.

This lag ranks Burgas only 11th in the national ranking by this indicator. For comparison, the highest-paid employees are in the Sofia (capital) region, where the average salary reaches BGN 3,489, while the lowest incomes are registered in the regions of Kyustendil (BGN 1,779), Smolyan (BGN 1,801), and Vidin (BGN 1,818).

Income growth in key sectors

However, a positive increase in incomes is observed within the quarter. Compared to the first quarter of 2025, the average gross monthly salary in Burgas has increased by 5.8%. The largest increases were reported in key sectors such as:

• Mining and quarrying: 26.5%
• Education: 20.5%
• Public administration: 19.6%

These sectors show that while the region's economy relies heavily on tourism, there is also significant progress in other, strategically important areas. The year-on-year analysis also confirms the upward trend. The average monthly salary in the second quarter of 2025 has increased by 13.5% compared to the same period of the previous year. It is noteworthy that the increase in the public sector is more significant (14.4%) than in the private sector (12.9%), which may be due to policies for updating salaries in state administration and public services. This data testifies to the dynamics of the labor market and a desire to improve the standard of living, although the challenge with incomes being low relative to national levels remains.