The employees of three Bulgarian ministries have seen substantial salary raises over the past year, a report on Bulgaria's public administration published on the government website reveals.

The salaries of employees in the Agriculture Ministry saw the highest growth, 36%, reaching an average monthly salary of BGN 1 056 in 2011, up from BGN 777 in 2009.

Wage hikes in the Labor Ministry by 26.1% brought the average monthly salary of its employees to BGN 1 071, the highest in all of Bulgaria's ministries, while the monthly payments in the Regional Development Ministry grew by 25.8% compared with 2009, reaching BGN 1 050.

The Regional Development Ministry is the only which has increased its staff – by 4.9%, or by 30 employees in absolute numbers.

In 2010, Finance Ministry's employees saw their monthly income grow by only 3%; however, the big raise for them came a year earlier when Finance Minister Simeon Djankov increased the salaries by 44.2% compared with 2008. Thus, in 2011, the average monthly wage in the Bulgarian Finance Ministry has reached BGN 1 046.

The average monthly salary increase for the staff of all of Bulgaria's 14 government ministries is estimated at BGN 937, an increase of 7% compared with 2009.

The highest Bulgarian government salaries, however, remain in the administration of the Council of Ministers, where the monthly payment has reached BGN 1 655. The EU Funds Audit Executive Agency has salaries of BGN 1 360 per month, while the State Forestry Agency – BGN 1 223 per month.

The average salary in the administrative bodies accountable to the Parliament is BGN 1 088, a 9.2% increase compared with 2009.

The state administration employees with labor contracts under the Labor Code have seen their monthly income grow further. The salary for participation in state commission is BGN 1 249, up by 29% compared with 2009.

Employees with such contracts working for the EU Funds Audit Executive Agency reach salaries of BGN 2 500 per month, those in the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation – BGN 2 202, and those in the Agency for Privatization and Post-Privatization Control – BGN 1 794. At the same time, employees of the Automobile Administration Executive Agency have an average monthly salary of only BGN 323.80.

The report concludes that 21% of the employees of the Bulgarian state administration receive more than they did in 2009. Several institutions are not accounted for as they did not submit information about their employees' pay in 2010, including the Interior Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the State National Security Agency DANS, and several municipalities and municipal agencies.

The report further reveals that 61% of the retiring civil servants continue to work for the Bulgarian state administration.

It also shows that the government money spent on external experts and consultants doubled in 2010 reaching BGN 19 M, up from BGN 9 M in 2010. A total of 5 503 persons received payments in this capacity.

At the same time, the state administration managed to collect only BGN 41 M from the BGN 132 M worth of sanctions and fines that it imposed in 2010.

Bulgaria's budget paid BGN 12 M for mobile phone bills, and the total of 77 257 civil servants working for the Bulgarian executive use over 78 000 mobile phones.

The total number of the Bulgarian executive employees is 135 691, including the police, i.e. the 58 179 employees of the Interior Ministry, and the 264 employees of the Kushlev Commission which is supposed to seize assets acquired through criminal activity but has been notorious for its inefficiency.

The number of civil servants in Bulgaria actually declined by 2 988 in 2010, down from 80 255 in 2009. In the same period, the employees of the Interior Ministry were reduced by 3000, or by 4.9%.

The staff of the Defense Ministry was reduced from 955 in 2009 to 613 in 2010.

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