1.6 million Bulgarians work for wages below the cost of living

BGN 1,454 (EUR 738) per month is needed for a working person to be self-sufficient and live according to Bulgarian standards. For a family of three, consisting of two adults and one child, the amount is BGN 2,616 (EUR 1,329), according to the Institute for Social Research of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB).

Still, a third, or more than 830 000, of the country's employees work for a salary of up to BGN 1 000 (EUR 500). More than 1.6 million people work below the living wage, according to union president Plamen Dimitrov. According to these indicators, Bulgaria is still at the lowest level in the EU. The minimum wage is 50% of the living wage, half of what it should be," Dimitrov said.