Nearly half of active companies in Bulgaria don't have a single employee, shows data of the National Statistics Institute for the period 2008-2012, quoted by BTA. 

In 144 330 companies, or 44.6% of the active companies, the only employee is the owner. 

As of 2012 40% of the companies have up to four employees and barely 8% have between five and nine employees. Nine percent of the companies have more than 10 employees and in them work over 70% of the workforce in Bulgaria. 

In the surveyed five-year period nearly 40% of the newly established companies were in the retail sector, shows the NSI data. 

Of the companies set up in 2007, by the end of the five-year period, survived only 8%. Most viable proved to be the companies in the construction sector with 12.5% “survival rate”.  

In general, most viable proved to be the companies in the extractive industry, production and distribution of energy, water supply and purification and the financial and insurance sector.