Unemployment in February 2009 is expected to climb to 6.69 per cent, compared to 6.05 per cent a month earlier, Rossitsa Stilyanova, deputy head of the state Employment Agency told private broadcaster bTV on March 9 2009.

"We have no interest in hiding unemployment numbers," she said, answering a question whether these expectations were real given United Nations' forecast for tens of millions losing their jobs worldwide in 2009. According to her, Bulgaria could be somewhat of an exception to the global trend.

"The number of unemployed people has gone down by 21 000 compared to February 2008," she said. Nevertheless, amid endless reports about Bulgarian companies cutting jobs and closing entire units, Stiliyanova said that the agency was ready to accept applications from companies in accordance to the agency's existing action plan to cope with the economic crisis.

The plan envisages for employers to get a relief from the state for every worker who has been asked to work part-time. The idea is that instead of cutting jobs employers to shrink working time.

Every worker who has been asked to work half-day, on salary cut in half, would get 120 leva from the state for three months, Stilyanova said. For this to happen, employers must have at least five per cent of their staff working on half-day shifts, she said.

The average monthly salary in 2008, according to Government statistics, was 524 leva.

"The relief is available for three months only because we don't want employers abusing the plan," she said. This means that should companies apply in March, they can rely on the state aid until end of June when the country is about to have its regular elections for Parliament.