14.07.2021

MINIMAL MONEY IS TAKEN BY EVERY THIRD UNEMPLOYED BULGARIAN

Every third unemployed person in our country receives the minimum unemployment benefit. This is shown by data from the National Social Security Institute for last year. Nearly 40 percent of the unemployed people received from BGN 15 to BGN 25 per day. Compared to 2019, the number of people with such benefits has more than doubled, and their share of the total number of recipients has increased by 12.9 percentage points.

With a maximum benefit - of BGN 74.29 per day, in 2020 there were only 5.3% of all unemployed. Their number has even decreased by 5.1% compared to the previous year. 71.5% of all those receiving the maximum amount have a benefit granted under European regulations. This means that these people worked abroad, where they also received higher salaries. Most often, minimal compensation was received by workers whose contracts were terminated at their request or with their consent, explain the experts of the National Social Security Institute.

The amount of unemployment benefits in our country is determined per day. It is 60% of the average daily remuneration or the average daily income on which the employee's social security contributions have been paid for the previous 24 months. The compensation cannot be less than the minimum and higher than the maximum daily amount, which is determined each year by the law on the state social security budget. Last year, the unemployed received a minimum of BGN 9 per day, but from October 1, 2020, due to the pandemic, the threshold was increased to BGN 12 per day. The maximum daily amount of unemployment benefits for 2019 and 2020 is BGN 74.29.

The crisis with COVID-19 has dealt the most serious blow to the labor market in the capital, according to NSSI data. It is in Sofia that most people received unemployment benefits in 2020 - 13.8% of all eligible. Compared to 2019, their share has increased by 5.8 percentage points. In absolute terms, the increase in this area in 2020 (31,555) is 2.7 times compared to 2019 (11,736).

People with long experience are most affected

People with long insurance experience have been most severely affected by the effects of measures to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the NSSI analysis.

It is the number of people with more than 15 years of experience that increases the most among those who received unemployment benefits in 2020. They are entitled to the longest period of receiving benefits - 12 months. Their number has more than doubled, and their share in the total number of persons entitled to compensation has increased by 5.1 percentage points.

The number of people with unemployment benefits in 2020 is increasing compared to the previous year in all groups, with the most people with a length of service of 3 years and 1 day to 7 years. They are entitled to compensation for a period of 6 months. Their share is 23.2%, and compared to 2019 it has decreased by 1.9 points. n. In absolute terms, their number has increased by 43.9% compared to 2019.