Тhe results of the regular survey of Manpower Bulgaria „Salary and additional benefits – trend research” (SATR H2/2022) are here just in time for the beginning of the second part of the year. The survey aims to identify and analyze what changes are planned by employers in different sectors, cities and regions in the country in terms of monthly salaries and bonuses for the remaining six months of 2022.
In parallel with the Bulgarian market survey, individual studies are being conducted in the other countries that are part of the Manpower SEE cluster - Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as an analyzis of the whole region, which will be published soon.
Planned changes in monthly salaries
154 companies from 14 business sectors in the country took part in the study, 71% of them said they plan to have an increase in monthly salaries in the second half of 2022. The majority of them (35%) plan to increase wages by between 6 and 10%, followed by 17% who plan wage growth of up to 5%. In third and fourth place are employers who will increase the salaries of their employees by between 11 and 15% (9%) and by between 16 and 20% (6%). 3% of employers also plan increases of more than 21%. More than 60% plan to implement these changes for everyone in the companies.
The main reason for the planned increases again remains the same as was highlighted in the first half of the year, namely the retention of current talent in organisations (70%).
The results from the different sectors are consistent with the overall picture on the market. Nearly 70% of employers in the Manufacturing sector are planning wage increases. Similar figures are seen in the "Trade and FMCG" sector. Information technology is the sector where the largest wage increases are expected - 85% of employers are planning changes in this direction. Meanwhile, in the Consultancy Services sector, employers are split - 53.8% plan salary increases for their employees, while 46.2% plan no new changes.
Planned changes in additional benefits
41% of employers also plan increases in additional benefits, and 58% do not plan to make any additional changes by the end of the year. Across sectors, the results vary - most companies in the Information Technology sector (55%) plan to increase additional benefits, followed by Production (53.9%) and Trade (35.7%). In the Consultancy sector, where over 50% of companies planned benefits increases in the first half of 2022, only 23% planned additional increases in the next 6 months.
„Salary and additional benefits – trend research” study is part of a series of regular studies by Manpower Bulgaria and Manpower SEE on employers' plans in this area. These are conducted at the end of each half year to identify their attitudes for the next half year.
The full analysis can be found here: