Balgarianovinite.com The EU Pay Transparency Directive will help businesses attract and retain top talent by introducing clear rules and fairness in remuneration, Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova said at the Next Level HR forum, the Ministry’s press centre reported on Thursday.
Efremova noted that the principle of equal pay between women and men is already enshrined in both European and Bulgarian legislation, but its effective implementation remains a challenge. Data show that the gender pay gap in Bulgaria exceeds 13% in favour of men, she said.
Among the key changes in the directive is the requirement for employers to indicate a salary range in job advertisements. The practice of asking candidates about their previous pay is also banned. The aim is to prevent the perpetuation of existing inequalities, with particular focus placed on introducing objective and gender-neutral criteria for evaluating work. These will be based on four main elements – skills, effort, responsibilities and working conditions.
The directive also guarantees employees’ right to information. They will be able to obtain data on average pay levels in their category. Where a pay gap of more than 5% is identified and cannot be justified by objective criteria, employers will be required to take measures to address it. A national monitoring body is also envisaged, which will collect and analyze data, track trends and perform a preventive function. Companies with 100 or more employees will be required to report the gender pay gap.
Efremova said that Bulgaria is at an advanced stage of preparations for transposing the directive, with the main provisions to be incorporated into the Protection against Discrimination Act and supplemented by amendments to the Labour Code. The approach aims to avoid placing an unnecessary burden on businesses while ensuring effective implementation of the new rules. “The goal of implementing the directive is not to introduce sanctions, but prevention and achieving fairness. Ultimately, remuneration is the clearest measure of work, and fairness is the criterion for its value,” Efremova stressed.
The implementation of the directive will contribute to a fairer and more competitive labour market, where companies investing in transparency and equality will have an advantage in attracting qualified staff and building sustainable teams, Efremova added.
According to a regional survey by Manpower Bulgaria conducted between October and December 2025, Bulgarian companies continue to rely on increasing pay levels and offering more competitive benefits as their main strategy for retaining employees, but remain cautious about changes related to pay transparency and new EU-level regulations. EU Pay Transparency Directive to Boost Fairness and Talent Retention, Says Deputy Labour Minister 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-30 13:38:30 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law