Employers in Bulgaria, angry that employees get extra days off if public holidays fall on the weekend: We lose millions of euros
The employers' organization in Bulgaria, the Industrial Capital Association of Bulgaria (AIKB), has adopted a firm position against the current practice of extending legal days off when they fall on weekends, reports Novinite, quoted by News.ro.
According to the organization, the system, introduced in 2017, generates significant economic losses, of millions of euros, and should be reconsidered.
Bulgaria has 12 official public holidays in 2026, all of which are non-working by law. In addition, three more non-working days are expected to be added: May 25, September 7 and December 28. Employers say this reduces the total effective working time and diminishes economic output.
AIKB estimates that each additional non-working day costs the economy between 90 and 120 million euros. These figures are considered indicative, being based on the distribution of the national GDP over approximately 250 working days per year.
Executive director Dobrin Ivanov said these calculations are rough, but illustrate the wider impact of reduced working hours on production.
He argued that Bulgaria should abandon the policy introduced in 2017, which compensates public holidays that fall on the weekend with additional days off. In his opinion, this approach has long-term consequences on economic performance.
AIKB also pointed out that Bulgaria would have approximately five working days less in 2026 compared to previous years, equivalent to almost a week of work.
At the same time, labor productivity in the country remains significantly lower than in Western Europe, with estimates indicating that a Bulgarian employee produces approximately four times less value than a German employee during the same period.
A legislative proposal in this sense had previously been submitted by the Democratic Bulgaria (DSB) party in the former National Assembly. It suggested scrapping the practice of granting compensatory days off on Mondays when public holidays fall on weekends, citing concerns about the budget deficit and public spending. However, the proposal was rejected in tripartite discussions, leaving the current system unchanged.
