Bulgaria’s Informal Employment Rate Stands Out as One of the Lowest in Eur
Source: Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency)
Informal employment, which refers to work without formal contracts or social benefits, is a widespread issue globally. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 58% of the world’s workforce is engaged in such informal labor. This figure highlights the prevalence of non-contracted work across various sectors.
In Europe and Central Asia, about 20% of workers are involved in informal employment. Although this percentage is relatively lower compared to other regions, a notable number of workers in these areas still lack formal employment agreements.
Among European Union countries, Hungary and Poland report the highest levels of informal employment, with rates of 17.8% and 9.8% respectively. In contrast, many EU member states exhibit much lower levels of informal employment, with one-third of the countries showing rates below 2%. Malta has the lowest level at just 0.7%, followed by Slovenia and Belgium with 1% each. Bulgaria is also among the top three countries with the lowest informal employment rate, recording 1.3% of the workforce.
In comparison, Greece and Moldova have significantly higher informal employment rates, at 56% and 52% respectively. Turkey, particularly notable for its high informal employment rate, reports a rate of 27%. Professor Aziz Çelik of Kocaeli notes that in Turkey, the employment in the informal sector is considerably higher compared to the European average.
The United Kingdom also stands out in Europe with its high informal employment rate of 6.5% among the largest economies. Italy and France follow with rates of 3.8% and 3.6% respectively. In Spain and Germany, informal employment rates are slightly lower at 2.6% and 2.5%.
The original article: belongs to Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) .
