← Bulgaria's unemployment rate
Unemployment Benefits in Bulgaria
Workers insured for at least 12 of the last 18 months who register with the Employment Agency can get a cash unemployment benefit from the National Social Security Institute, 60 per cent of their average daily income for 4 to 12 months.
✓ From official pages ✓ Each part says when we checked
At a glance
National Social Security Institute (NSSI / НОИ)
The job market in Bulgaria
The International Labour Organization's estimates put Bulgaria 57th lowest of 183 countries for unemployment in 2025; the world's rate was 4.9%.
Bulgaria's unemployment rate over the years · every country, ranked
What to do first
- Register with the public employment service, Employment Agency (Агенция по заетостта). Official page
- Apply for Cash unemployment benefit (парично обезщетение за безработица): register with the Employment Agency within 7 working days, and apply within three months from the end of insurance (the page says at a Territorial Unit of the NSSI). Official page
- Keep up with the job-search rule while you claim (below), and keep a record of where you applied.
- Search the government's job listings on e-Labour Exchange (e-Трудова борса). Official page
Cash unemployment benefit (парично обезщетение за безработица)
Who can get it. People with contributions paid or payable to the Unemployment Fund for at least 12 months in the last 18 months before the insurance ended, registered as unemployed with the Employment Agency.
How much. 60 per cent of the average daily wage or average daily social security income for the last 24 calendar months, between a minimum and a maximum daily amount set each year in the State Social Security Budget Act.
For how long. By unemployment-insurance service after 31 December 2001: up to 3 years, 4 months; over 3 to 7 years, 6 months; over 7 to 11 years, 8 months; over 11 to 15 years, 10 months; over 15 years, 12 months.
How to claim. Register with the Employment Agency within 7 working days, and apply within three months from the end of insurance (the page says at a Territorial Unit of the NSSI).
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Looking for work while you claim
Registered unemployed people must appear at the Employment Agency's office on the date and time in a written invitation (or within 3 working days of receiving it), accept suitable work offered to them, and follow the job broker's recommendations and the actions and deadlines in their action plan. Not doing so ends the registration.
- Register with the Employment Agency within 7 working days of the job ending
- Appear when invited in writing
- Accept suitable work offered
- Take part in employment programmes, measures and training offered
- Follow the action plan agreed with the job broker
Reporting. In person at the Labour Office when invited in writing; changes in circumstances reported within 7 working days.
From an official page, read October 26, 2026.
Keep my work search record for Bulgaria
Free. It lists where you applied and what else you did to look for work, each line ready to copy into the form you report on. It is your own record: we send nothing to any government.
Help finding work
- The public employment service: Employment Agency (Агенция по заетостта)
- The government's job listings: e-Labour Exchange (e-Трудова борса)
Jobareer emails new jobs in Bulgaria as they come in: jobs in Bulgaria.
New jobs in Bulgaria
Every job in Bulgaria, and job alerts emailed as new ones come in.
Questions
Is there unemployment benefit in Bulgaria?
Yes: Cash unemployment benefit (парично обезщетение за безработица), paid by National Social Security Institute (NSSI / НОИ).
How much is unemployment benefit in Bulgaria?
60 per cent of the average daily wage or average daily social security income for the last 24 calendar months, between a minimum and a maximum daily amount set each year in the State Social Security Budget Act.
How long does unemployment benefit last in Bulgaria?
By unemployment-insurance service after 31 December 2001: up to 3 years, 4 months; over 3 to 7 years, 6 months; over 7 to 11 years, 8 months; over 11 to 15 years, 10 months; over 15 years, 12 months.
How do I claim unemployment benefit in Bulgaria?
Register with the Employment Agency within 7 working days, and apply within three months from the end of insurance (the page says at a Territorial Unit of the NSSI).
Do I have to look for work while I claim in Bulgaria?
Registered unemployed people must appear at the Employment Agency's office on the date and time in a written invitation (or within 3 working days of receiving it), accept suitable work offered to them, and follow the job broker's recommendations and the actions and deadlines in their action plan. Not doing so ends the registration.
Where can I get help finding a job in Bulgaria?
The public employment service is Employment Agency (Агенция по заетостта). The government lists jobs on e-Labour Exchange (e-Трудова борса).
Nearby countries
Belarus
Czechia
Hungary
Moldova
Poland
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
Ukraine
Where this comes from
Every part of this page was read on an official website, and each links the page it came from and the day we checked it. Rules and amounts change, so check that page before you rely on a figure. Jobareer is not part of any government and cannot see or change a claim.
See also: unemployment rate by country · Bulgaria's unemployment rate · unemployment in the US, state by state.