400,000 employed are insured on the basis of minimal salary, Lidia Shuleva, deputy prime minister and social minister said for the National Radio. According to her the allegations that there is no labor market in Bulgaria are ungrounded. A rather broad black labor market exists, though. The National Insurance Institute is still having a gross deficit and pensions are paid from a 250 million republican budget subsidiary. The raise of the minimal monthly salary will yield an effect not exceeding BGN 7 million more to the NII budget. The prognosis is that it will reach the break-even line around 2005.