About 64% of employers plan to offer Christmas bonuses to their employees, 21% will not provide such bonuses, and 15% have not yet decided. This shows a poll conducted among members of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).

The consultation was carried out between 22-29 November 2017.

Companies are providing additional funds to their employees at the end of the year, mainly for Christmas, 66% of those planning to make bonuses. For 16%, bonuses are the good financial condition of the companies, 11% of the bonuses are both the holidays and the successes of the companies. About 6% cited other reasons related to the company's socially responsible policy.

Poor financial situation is the reason why the majority of employers will not pay bonuses - 70% of this group of companies. The remaining 30% say they pay high enough wages or give bonuses for work done.

Most often the amount of the Christmas bonus is up to 500 leva, according to the survey of the BCCI - 87% of the respondents. About 9% of employers plan bonuses ranging from 500-1000 BGN, and over BGN 1,000 - only 4%. Equal is the share of companies that will give the same bonuses to all employees and those who determine them according to the individual performance - 44%. A leading indicator of the amount of the bonus is the level of position in 11% of the companies.

With 30% of employers, the bonuses they will give to employees will be higher than last year's and 65% will be the same as the previous year. Only 5% of the bonus for 2017 will be lower than the 2016 bonus.

The survey results show that in 38% of companies, the days between Christmas and New Year will be working because they can not afford a break in the production regime or will suffer losses. The other part - about 62% - considers the days between the holidays to be non-working (wholly or partially) because the nature of their activity allows them, and their partners will rest then.

Less than half (46%) of respondents intend to increase their employees' salaries next year, 27% still have not decided, 17% will keep the company's salary in 2017, and 2% plan to cut wages. About 8% said they would apply different approaches - some employees would raise wages, take into account labor market trends and more.

The poll shows that the most often up to 10% is the size of the planned increase or decrease in wages - with 79% of the employers.